2021
Impact Report
Nevada Humane Society is proud to serve the Northern Nevada community by caring for pets in need and helping them find their forever homes. The impact our non-profit organization makes extends well past the walls of our two shelters. Scroll below to learn more about the impact Nevada Humane Society made in 2021 and the people who help make our life-saving work possible.

Nevada Humane Society
Mission Statement
Our mission is to care for pets, find them homes and save lives.
Our vision is that all pets have a healthy, happy life.
Our guiding principles are to promote humane treatment, relieve suffering, operate a no-kill shelter and educate and engage the community.

Message from Nevada Humane Society
Nevada Humane Society is proud to serve our community as the only open-admission, no-kill shelter in Nevada, meaning we accept pets in need regardless of age, illness or past trauma. We found homes and cared for more than 18,000 animals in our community in 2021. Your support helped us to accomplish so much in 2021 – from operating and staffing an evacuation center for pets during the Caldor fire, to taking in more than 100 animals rescued from overcrowding situations and hosting low-cost vaccine clinics and pet food assistance events. With your support we can continue accomplishing this life-saving work. We celebrated the five-year anniversary of our Carson City Shelter in 2021 which served as a wonderful reminder of our life-saving work and partnerships in the Carson City community. We remained nimble with events in light of the pandemic creating our virtual Paws for a Cause campaign in early 2021 and followed that with a virtual/in-person Duck Race that proved to be our most successful ever. We also earned our BBB accreditation as well as the highest rankings from Charity Navigator and GuideStar. Each year I am thankful for our community, donors and partners who are by our side with their support, advocacy and dedication to our life-saving mission which helps to ensure we are able to care for the thousands of homeless pets that come to our shelters each year.
Gregory J. Hall, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer
An Acclaimed Non-Profit
Nevada Humane Society is proud to have earned the highest rankings from Charity Navigator (four star) and GuideStar (platinum seal of transparency) for efficiently stewarding donations in 2021. In addition, Nevada Humane Society is also an accredited business through the Better Business Bureau.
Nevada Humane Society relies 100% on donations, doesn’t receive government grants and is not affiliated with a national animal welfare organization. Which is why your donations make it possible for us to do our life-saving work providing homeless pets the medical care and resources they need until they find their forever homes.




Nevada Humane Society’s Life-Saving Mission Extends Beyond Shelter Walls
Living in Northern Nevada, wildfires have become commonplace with summertime weather in recent years. In 2021, the Caldor and other wildfires hit close to home-not only causing evacuations but creating an immediate need to care for pets affected by evacuation orders in our community.
On August 30, 2021, our CEO Greg Hall, received an urgent call from Carson City directing Nevada Humane Society (NHS) to quickly get to Fuji Park to set up, run and care for animals that were displaced as their owners were forced to evacuate from South Lake Tahoe. Within two hours, our team had the site up and running and began to take in pets.
Over the course of the next seven days, we cared for nearly 60 pets including dogs, cats, a parakeet, and a turtle. Together with volunteers and our community partner Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI), we managed the evacuation site around the clock. We worked hard to ensure the pets were walked, fed, cared for and loved as they were in a new environment and uncertain about how long they would be away from their families as the fire raged on.
When Red Cross relocated from the Fuji Park evacuation site to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center after two days, we encouraged Carson City to keep the Fuji Park site open. There were no other options at that time for people and pets to be together as some owners remained at the park and camped to be close to their animals.
For the duration of the evacuation, our staff members, dozens of volunteers and the CASI team worked around the clock at our Fuji Park evacuation site providing compassion, care and love during a stressful, emotional time.
When the Fuji Park evacuation center closed on September 5, 2021 and all pets had alternative housing solutions, Washoe County Regional Animal Services requested our assistance with their evacuation site at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center around the clock. We took our first shift on September 4 and remained onsite until the closing of the Convention Center evacuation site on September 8. We helped care for these pets by walking dogs, checking animals in and out of the site, cleaning and caring for the animals, and coordinating and helping with general inquiries.



A Joyous Reunion
After the wildfire evacuations were lifted, South Lake Tahoe residents Trixie and Catherine were able to return to the Tahoe Senior Plaza, but they had no way to retrieve their beloved pets from the evacuation site they had been taken to. Our team offered to collect the animals –two cats and one dog– from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, and drive them home to reunite them with their owners.
As you can imagine it was an emotional reunion for Trixie, Catherine and their beloved pets as the last two weeks had proved to be stressful and challenging. Seeing their faces light up as their pets were brought back to their home was heartwarming.
Community Support
Knowing the stress having to evacuate would place on those affected by the fires, we put a call out to our community to donate pet food and supplies. We collected donations at our Reno and Carson City Shelters and delivered them to the evacuation sites that needed them most.
Our community responded in a big way! Those near and far dropped off and sent in supplies to ensure that everyone who was affected by the fire had what they needed. This included thousands of pounds of pet food, cat litter, pet food bowls, toys, crates and more. Our team and volunteers dropped off supplies at more than 15 evacuation sites.
In addition, the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation, Petco Love and Petsmart Charities made generous donations to our fire/emergency efforts to ensure that we had the resources and funding needed to care for these animals and their humans when they needed it the most. This support ensured we were able to lead these fire efforts while still keeping our two shelters open and staffed. Learn more about our supporters here.




Sun Valley Dog Rescue
Our community was devastated when more than 40 dogs were abandoned in Sun Valley Regional Park in the summer of 2021.
In response to this tragedy, we all came together to rescue, provide care and find happy homes for these neglected dogs in need. We are grateful for the animal lovers in Northern Nevada who stepped up to help by supporting us in ending animal cruelty and saving pet lives.
This rescue was especially challenging because the dogs were traumatized and reluctant to approach the people working to help them. Our partners at Washoe County Regional Animal Services (WCRAS) worked tirelessly over a two week period combing the 340-acre park to find and safely capture all the abandoned dogs in need of help.
“No animal deserves to be mistreated or abandoned. There is support for people who find themselves overwhelmed with too many pets. They can be surrendered and cared for; there is simply no excuse for abandoning them.” – Greg Hall, CEO, NHS.
After spending five days at WCRAS, the standard holding period for all stray animals, the 40+ dogs were transferred to our Reno Shelter for continued medial care, socialization and to find happy homes.
As a result of the outpouring of community support, these sweet dogs were adopted very quickly. As soon as they became available for adoption people were lined up and eager to give them loving homes. Due to what they’d been through, these pups needed calm environments and homes that could be patient with them while they recovered, and we were able to find them amazing adopters!



From Rescuer to Adopter
Jamie was out riding his quad in the desert when he came across one little, lonely pup. She came right up to him, limping and clearly in need of help. Jamie noticed that the pup had two puncture wounds and needed medical care, so he brought her to WCRAS for treatment and to make sure that if she had an owner, they were able to claim her. When she made her way to our shelter, we could tell immediately that this sweet pup was one of the dogs who had recently been abandoned as they all have very similar color patterns, markings and are the same size.
We work closely with our partners at WCRAS to ensure that concerned citizens who find, and bond, with stray animals are afforded the opportunity to adopt them if they are not claimed. We were ecstatic to learn that Jamie wanted to give this pup a forever home!
These two were clearly meant to be together and thanks to Jamie’s kindness, they are.
A Life Forever Changed
“Each pet that comes into my life changes me in a way. Toby has completely become a part of our family and I am grateful that I was the one who got to rescue him.”
– Chris, Toby’s Adopter.
“Animals that have experienced neglect are often slow to trust. We regularly work with adopters to ensure they have clear expectations that their new family member will need patience and time to warm up and adjust to experiencing a healthy, loving home for the first time. But these animals know that you saved them and there’s nothing like the love and loyalty you get from a pet who knows you saved their life -it’s an incredible bond.”
– Emily Lancione, Animal Care Director, NHS.
Chris shared with us that he is honored to be the reason Toby will never again have to experience neglect or abandonment, and it warms our hearts to know we helped bring these two together. “It saddens me that organizations like NHS must exist, but I am so thankful for you. I watched all the media coverage of the abandoned dogs, and my little Toby is in all of the stories. He looks so confused and concerned in those videos and pictures. Now, his face is happy. I cannot thank you enough for rescuing him and bringing us together.” – Chris, Toby’s Adopter.
With your support we can continue our life-saving work to ensure that pets in need find happy homes, so that they never again have to experience neglect.





Community
Pet Support






Our Carson City Shelter celebrated its 5-year anniversary in 2021. In addition, our team participated in the annual Nevada Day Parade, hosted a dog wedding between two bonded dogs to help them find a home together, took part in Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days and hosted an event as part of our shelter anniversary to build winter housing for community cats.
Carson Five Year Anniversary






When Ivan came to us in late October 2021 as a stray, he had two severely injured legs, both on the left side of his body, and our Clinic Team worked diligently to help him. At just a year old, he was dealt a tough hand but our Veterinary Director, Dr. Jessica Slatin, had her team reach out to local vet specialists for their thoughts and expertise. Animal Emergency Center offered to help and performed surgery on Ivan’s legs – one to repair a broken leg and one to repair severe tendon damage. From there, he underwent weekly sedated bandage changes in our clinic. Ivan was officially adopted on February 8, 2022 by Dr. Kristin Kee, who started her veterinary career at NHS before opening her own practice in early 2022.

Clinic Numbers







Our Fosters. Our Heroes.
Our Fosters. Our Heroes. Our Foster Program helped over 2,100 pets in 2021. Our foster volunteers take in pets that are too young, too sick, or just too stressed to be in our shelters and care for them until they are ready to find forever homes. Laura, one of our dedicated foster volunteers, is one of the amazing people who helps pets that otherwise wouldn’t have a fighting chance to overcome immense challenges.
Laura adopted her rescue pup from Nevada Humane Society so fostering for us was a “no-brainer.” She signed up right in the middle of our kitten season, and was given an amazing mama cat and her tiny three-week-old babies as her first foster pets. One reason that Laura is able to work fostering into her daily life is because she owns her own small business, Devonwoods Flowers. The kittens that need round-the-clock care accompany her to work, and her business community has been extremely supportive and involved with her foster experience.
“It has been so much fun watching my employees and customers engage with my fosters. I have customers who stop by just to see the kittens and find out how they’re doing.” – Laura, Dedicated Foster Volunteer. Some of Laura’s first few foster experiences included medical cases. A litter of foster kittens that she was bottle feeding ended up being ringworm positive. Laura learned to enjoy what she called their “spa days” together, and has cared for many ringworm kittens since. A few of her friends and customers have adopted her ringworm babies and she shared it is so rewarding to see them become ringworm negative and hear updates on them.
“Adopting from a rescue is so important, but when you foster the impact you make on animals in need is so much bigger and far reaching than is possible when you adopt a single animal from the shelter. I of course have dogs and cats that are my forever family who I love dearly but through fostering I’ve been able to have a real positive impact on over 30 kittens and cats in just one year. It’s incredible and humbling to think how many kittens I’ll get the chance to love and help heal within my lifetime. Fostering is something that will always be a part of my life.” – Laura, Dedicated Foster Volunteer.





We Love Our Volunteers
Our amazing volunteers help us provide life-saving care for more than 18,000 pets every year. From dog walking to cat cuddling to taking photos of animals, we rely on volunteers to help support our homeless pets in need.
Volunteer Hours











2021 marked the Nevada Humane Society’s first-ever virtual fundraiser – Paws for a Cause. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we had come up with an innovative solution to meet our spring fundraising goal of $100,000. Each week of the month-long virtual fundraiser, we highlighted some of the ways Nevada Humane Society supports homeless pets in Northern Nevada. Our team received the Best in Cause-Related Marketing Campaign Award from the American Marketing Association.


Robbie and Michael Burkitt, long-time donors and supporters of Nevada Humane Society, donate in honor of their daughter, Jaime Burkitt, DVM, Associate Professor of Surgical and Radiological Sciences at UC Davis School of Medicine. The Burkitt’s donations have allowed us to complete our clinic remodel and provided new life-saving equipment.

Nevada Humane Society 2021 Financials
Current Assets
Total checking/savings: $3,352,000
Total accounts receivable: $80,000
Total other current assets: $2,332,000
Total current assets: $5,764,000
Noncurrent Assets
Total fixed assets: $922,000
Total other assets: $14,351,000
Total non-current assets: $15,273,000
Total assets: $21,037,000
Current Liabilities
Total accounts payable: $154,000
Total other current liabilities: $239,000
Total current liabilities: $393,000
Long-Term Liabilities
Total Long-Term Liabilities: $670,000
Total Liabilities: $1,063,000
Equity
Total Equity: $19,974,000
Total Liabilities and Equity: $21,037,000
Total income in the past fiscal year: $9,380,000
Expenses
Program: $5,326,000
Fundraising: $208,000
Administrative: $1,086,000 categories as in the financial statements
Preliminary 2021 Financial Information as of 12/31/2021



Nevada Humane Society Administration Team
Gregory J. Hall, Chief Executive Officer
Phil Neff, Chief Financial Officer
Emily Lancione, Animal Care Director
Kristen Saibini, Development Director
Chelsea Sladek, Community Services Director
Jessica Slatin, DVM, Veterinary Director
Nicole Theodoulou, Marketing & Communications Director
Rebecca Goff, Clinic Manager
Cherry Hastings, Cat Care Manager
Clay Johnson, Carson City Shelter Manager
Megan McCalister, Marketing & Events Manager
Jack McCreary, Maintenance Manager
Brenna Rose, Human Resources Manager
Board of Directors
Kris Wells, President, AT&T
Rita Eissmann, Vice President, Gregory R. Eissmann, DDS, B.S., R.D.A., CDA
Kristen Chinvarasopak, Treasurer, CPA, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Stephanie Berggren, Secretary, NV Energy
Joan Dees, Community Volunteer
Jeff Panko, United Federal Credit Union
Ken Furlong, Carson City Sheriff
Paula Thompson, Microsoft
Brittany Cooper, Esq., Brittany Cooper Law
Raymond Gonzalez, Wells Fargo
Amy Burkett, Owner Breathe Bar
Carol Bond, Dickson Reality
Nancy Wenzel, Esq.
Britton Griffith, Reno Engineering Cooperation
