Posts by Wendy Welch

HSHV Highlights Risk to Pets When Owners Are Suddenly Taken or Hospitalized

HSHV Highlights Risk to Pets When Owners Are Suddenly Taken or Hospitalized

February 3, 2026 | Comments Off on HSHV Highlights Risk to Pets When Owners Are Suddenly Taken or Hospitalized

Ann Arbor, MI (February 3, 2026) — Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) reminds the community of the critical role neighbors play in protecting animals, after staff were alerted by a hospital social worker that a recently adopted dog had been left alone when his adopter was unexpectedly hospitalized following an encounter with federal immigration officers. Unfortunately, the worried owner was not permitted to contact HSHV himself, nor did any law enforcement agency notify HSHV. Thankfully, the dog was safely recovered by HSHV staff and is back in HSHV’s care—only because a hospital social worker thought to call HSHV. This story
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Happy Gotcha Day, Nigel!

Happy Gotcha Day, Nigel!

January 28, 2026 | Comments Off on Happy Gotcha Day, Nigel!

It was a cold day in late January 2024 and I talked my husband into going with me to HSHV to look at dogs. We were down to one dog and he seemed lonely after losing his buddies over the years. We didn’t plan to go home with a dog that day (or my husband didn’t), but that’s not how things played out. I was out “test driving” another dog and my husband was back in the kennel. When I came back in, he said, “I found our dog.” Apparently, as my husband knelt down next to the kennel, Nigel
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$1,000 Reward Offered to Help Identify Man Seen Striking, Dragging Dog

$1,000 Reward Offered to Help Identify Man Seen Striking, Dragging Dog

January 15, 2026 | Comments Off on $1,000 Reward Offered to Help Identify Man Seen Striking, Dragging Dog

Ypsilanti, MI (January 15, 2026) — The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) continues to investigate the alleged abuse of a dog captured on a doorbell camera in Ypsilanti during the last week of 2025. An anonymous donor is now offering $1,000 cash for information leading to the filing of criminal charges in the case. The video, recorded on Ypsilanti’s South Street, appears to show a man running onto a porch, grabbing a dog with light-colored fur, striking the dog several times, then lifting and dragging the dog by the neck while walking down the steps off the porch. In the
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Public Urgently Asked to Help Identify Man Seen Striking, Dragging Dog

Public Urgently Asked to Help Identify Man Seen Striking, Dragging Dog

December 31, 2025 | Comments Off on Public Urgently Asked to Help Identify Man Seen Striking, Dragging Dog

Ypsilanti, MI (December 31, 2025) — The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) is investigating a complaint involving the alleged abuse of a dog whose footage was captured on a doorbell camera in Ypsilanti. The video, reportedly taken late last week on Ypsilanti’s South Street, appears to show a man running onto a porch, grabbing what appears to be a pit-bull mix with light-colored fur, striking the dog several times, then lifting and dragging the dog by the neck while walking down the steps off the porch. In the footage, the dog’s legs appear to be lifted off the ground as
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Charges Filed in Kitten Shooting Case 

Charges Filed in Kitten Shooting Case 

December 11, 2025 | Comments Off on Charges Filed in Kitten Shooting Case 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   ­­­­Ann Arbor, MI (December 11, 2025) — In response to the brutal 2024 shooting of a kitten later named “Sugar,” the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office has filed charges in connection with the case. The charges include two counts of Killing/Torturing Animals and one count of Animal Abandonment. The criminal filing follows the initial public appeal by Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV), which in September 2024 sought the community’s help in identifying those responsible for the violent attack on a seven-month-old kitten found near Carpenter Road and Washtenaw Avenue in Ypsilanti. X-rays revealed approximately 35 BB-gun BBs embedded
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Ponies, Goats, Dogs, Turtles, and More—120+ Animals Get a Second Chance

Ponies, Goats, Dogs, Turtles, and More—120+ Animals Get a Second Chance

September 16, 2025 | Comments Off on Ponies, Goats, Dogs, Turtles, and More—120+ Animals Get a Second Chance

She came to buy a horse, but left with concern. The horse wasn’t healthy and happy– but instead was suffering from severe neglect. Would she turn a blind eye and hope for the best? No. She contacted HSHV cruelty investigators. When the rescue began, what we found was grim: over 100 neglected animals in poor health, cramped or unsanitary conditions, inadequate food or veterinary care. We immediately got them water and they literally stepped over each other to get it. The scene broke hearts. But alongside that heartbreak was action — swift, determined, resolute. Our rescue officers moved in. Animal
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Compassionate Area Youth Recognized by Humane Society of Huron Valley

Compassionate Area Youth Recognized by Humane Society of Huron Valley

September 16, 2025 | Comments Off on Compassionate Area Youth Recognized by Humane Society of Huron Valley

­­­­Ann Arbor, MI (September 16, 2025) — The Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Humane Youth Award, recognizing outstanding young advocates (ages 12-17) whose compassion, service, and leadership are making a meaningful difference in the lives of animals in our community. Award Recipients  OV Serlin, 15, of Ann Arbor— 2025 Humane Youth Award WinnerAs a Junior Volunteer at HSHV, OV she has spent over 100 hours enriching the lives of the cats, dogs, and small mammals that temporarily call HSHV home. But OV’s animal advocacy extends beyond HSHV; she has spent time volunteering
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HSHV Rescues Over 120 Animals from Repeat Offender with Long History of Cruelty

HSHV Rescues Over 120 Animals from Repeat Offender with Long History of Cruelty

September 4, 2025 | Comments Off on HSHV Rescues Over 120 Animals from Repeat Offender with Long History of Cruelty

­­Ann Arbor, MI (September 4, 2025) — Friday evening, the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) rescued 126 animals from a person with a history of animal cruelty-related convictions and felony charges. The rescued animals included dogs, cats, horses, ponies, a donkey, goats, sheep, a rabbit, snakes, iguanas, frogs, tarantulas, and more. The suspect, Christine Thompson, currently has two pending felony animal cruelty charges from northern Michigan and a warrant for failure to appear in court; a case which has resulted in more than 100 animals being seized and civilly forfeited. Thompson also has a prior conviction in another northern
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Treat Tosses, Sniff Hunts, Hand Delivers: Speaking Your Dog’s Reward Language

Treat Tosses, Sniff Hunts, Hand Delivers: Speaking Your Dog’s Reward Language

September 3, 2025 | Comments Off on Treat Tosses, Sniff Hunts, Hand Delivers: Speaking Your Dog’s Reward Language

Many people are familiar with the basics of marker training, where we teach the dog that a marker (often a click from a clicker, or a word like “yes”) predicts that a treat is coming. We can add even more clarity and predictability to our training by teaching our dogs specific cues for different treat delivery methods, like tossing them a treat for them to catch, taking food from our hand, or a tossed treat to sniff out in the grass. This is typically referred to as a “multiple marker system.” Using a multiple marker system can be especially helpful
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HSHV Urges Investigation Into Wayne State’s Killing of Healthy, Adoptable Dog

HSHV Urges Investigation Into Wayne State’s Killing of Healthy, Adoptable Dog

August 14, 2025 | Comments Off on HSHV Urges Investigation Into Wayne State’s Killing of Healthy, Adoptable Dog

Ann Arbor, MI (August 14, 2025) — Together with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) called on the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) today to investigate Wayne State University for killing a healthy, adoptable dog instead of offering him the chance at a home—an action that appears to violate Section 287.388a of Michigan Public Act 224—commonly known as Teddy’s Law, Michigan legislation requiring the adoption of dogs and cats used in laboratory experiments. Recently obtained records show that in 2024, Wayne State killed “dog 3002,” a brown-and-white hound who
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