About NHS
The Nebraska Humane Society provides education, gives shelter, encourages adoption and promotes responsible pet ownership.
The Nebraska Humane Society provides education, gives shelter, encourages adoption and promotes responsible pet ownership.
The Nebraska Humane Society was founded in 1875. It is the fifth oldest humane society in the nation, and, today, is also one of the largest. We offer shelter to animals who have no place to call home and provide vital services to them and to the people who love them. Every year, more than 24,000 animals, including wildlife, find their way to our doors. Through our programs, we touch the lives of more than 200,000 people annually with our message of compassion and humane treatment for all living creatures. We are housed on a 13-acre campus with four buildings, 170 dedicated staff members and 500 volunteers.
We provide animal medical services to animals in our care. We offer training classes and behavior modification programs, a low cost spay/neuter center, humane education programs, a free behavior help line, a pet food pantry for residents in economic distress, Project Pet Safe for companion pets of victims of domestic abuse, and Animeals, a program to deliver pet food to elderly pet owners who no longer have the freedom or ability to leave their homes.
We are active advocates for animal welfare in our state, having written and lobbied the Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Unicameral and local city councils to close puppy mills, to stop dog fighting, to insist on responsible pet ownership guidelines and to enforce dangerous dog ordinances. We are contracted to provide animal control services to Omaha and all of the communities within Sarpy County, providing shelter and a second chance to all of the stray, lost, abandoned, and often abused animals roaming loose in our jurisdiction. Our innovative Molly Project works to rehabilitate unruly, aggressive and fearful dogs, who, just a few years ago, would have been considered ‘‘unadoptable and untreatable.” In it’s first 4 years this program successfully placed, and kept in homes, almost 2,000 “unadoptable” dogs.
The Nebraska Humane Society was founded in 1875. The organization was originally established for the protection of both animals and children. In the mid 1940’s, state agencies began to embrace child welfare issues, leaving the Nebraska Humane Society as the sole organization within the Omaha area designated for the protection of animals.
The Nebraska Humane Society protects, saves and enriches the lives of animals in the communities we serve.
A good home for every pet. To achieve that, we will be working more and more, outside the shelter to offer support and guidance for all pet owners.
At the Nebraska Humane Society we are united by our mission to create a more humane world for people and animals. We are inspired to promote and support a respectful environment that is diverse and inclusive of all people, in every aspect of our organization.
We commit to:
- Align our organization's vision, mission and values to the broader equity issues being faced by the communities we serve.
- Champion a thriving organization for our staff, volunteers, guests and donors that is representative of the communities we serve, and where each of us feels an authentic sense of belonging.
- Continue to foster cultural equity with attention to internal policies, practices and behaviors.
- Attract and retain employees, volunteers, donors and board members who are of diverse backgrounds.
- Generate and aggregate quantitative and qualitative research to make measurable progress toward cultural equity more visible.
Agency Initiatives:
- Appointed an NHS DEI leader to provide development leadership
- Implemented agency and board level DEI committees to provide management and oversight of agency activities
- DEI training provided to NHS staff
- Enhanced employment recruitment strategies
NHS is a not for profit 501-C3 organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. As a non-profit agency we rely on private donations to keep our doors (and kennels) open. We do not receive tax dollars, nor do we receive any portion of dues or donations paid to national animal welfare agencies.
We rely on donations from annual donors who include individuals, corporations and foundations to fund the cost of sheltering tens of thousands of animals, our animal medical program, animal care facilities, adoption counseling, pet training and our behavior modification program, The Molly Project. NHS also raises lifesaving funds via adoption fees and the Animal Outfitters retail store, along with offering services such as training classes, humane education camps and Rainbow Bridge private pet cremations.
NHS provides education, gives sanctuary to animals, encourages adoptions and promotes responsible pet ownership.
Pam Wiese / President & CEO
Lindy Hess / Vice President of Finance
Charles Cooper / Vice President of Development
Steven Glandt / Vice President of Field Operations
Sara Schmidt / Vice President of Business Operations
Steven Elonich / Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing
