Great Things to WAAG Over

Local nonprofit Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG) has a lot to celebrate, or wag about right now. Five years ago, the group recognized a desperate need for animal advocacy in Wahkiakum County. Founded in 2019, three ladies with big service hearts and lovers of fur babies came together to answer the call for helping four legged Wahkiakum residents.

It began as a dire need to maintain the feral cat population, which was out of control with no hope in sight in meeting the needs of stray, abandoned or neglected animals. “The joke by local law enforcement was that the community was nicknamed ‘Cat-lamet’ due to the number of misplaced cats running wild throughout the county,” Coleman shared, referring to the hotspots on the island and up the Elochoman Valley.

To respond to the need, co-organizers of WAAG, Wendy Edwards, Rebecca Hompe and Jenny Martin put their heads together to raise money through multiple fundraising efforts and raised $1700 for initial start up. Edwards started seeking donations and selling baked goods to fund the nonprofit.

Starting with the feral cat population, they began a monthly catch-a-cat Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) program and transported them to the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. Volunteers then returned the animals to their rightful owners under the condition that the animals would be cared for.

Since the formation of WAAG, the group has metamorphosized from TNR to include the following programs: a pet food pantry, companion animal financial aid assistance, community service, education and now emergency rescue. They fill the need for cats, dogs and some other small house pets. They have established a consistent pet food drive program with Amazon and Chewy for donations of food and supplies. If a local needs food for their beloved pet, one can reach out to WAAG and receive pet food from their pantry supplies located in conjunction with the local food pantries. As a community member you can also donate to this cause.

These ambitious ladies are working on a foster care network and trying to establish a reliable set of homes that can assist in emergency situations. While WAAG works in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office and Health and Human Services, they have no jurisdiction for animal control. WAAG has assisted the Sheriff’s Office when a dog owner was taken into criminal custody, and again when several owners passed away. WAAG will take in abandoned and neglected animals when space is available, which isn’t often. Martin shared that 20 animals came into WAAG’s care in May alone.

WAAG works with the county, saving the county thousands of dollars a year to assist them since there is no animal shelter locally. This year the county granted them $3000 to assist in their efforts. It costs the county about $300 a day to take animals into custody to Cowlitz County if they will even except them,” according to Martin. WAAG’s assistance has filled a need for space and human resources willing to open their hearts and give time to manage the problem locally.

WAAG gets weekly requests to take in owner surrenders, however, due to limitations they can only assist residents with rehoming their animals. They’ve already taken in 13 dogs and 17 cats and kittens this year. Abandoned animals can come from neglect, owners passing away or temporarily emergency custody in the event of incarceration.

In addition, WAAG offers compassionate emergency veterinary services to assist with medical expenses incurred.

In large, their biggest success is the Trap Neuter Return program. Their efforts have brought the population under control in the two major hot spots of the county by taking cats monthly to a neuter clinic in Portland, then returning the animals to their rightful owners with an agreeance for continued care. The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon asks for a $50 donation for each animal. They hope to do more education around the TNR program and teach the public about how to handle the issue themselves.

“Our organization gets one appointment for 10-15 cats each month, but we have a limitation of space and resources,” shared Edwards. “Community education on the spaying and neutering of pets is imperative for a healthy community of animals.”

“We rely solely on the community for a lot of support in resources such as food and shelter.” said Coleman, the foster and adoption program manager of the group.They are on call from 9 am to 9 pm, seven days a week.

The group’s biggest worry is funding to maintain at the capacity they already serve, but also expand services to education outreach and additional resources. They charge an adoption fee, but still lose money on that due to having such a low fee that doesn’t cover all costs associated with animal care prior to the adoption.

In the coming months there will be ample opportunity to assist WAAG and their efforts to grow and maintain. They were represented at Bald Eagle Days with educational materials and a cooling station for pups. Next, they will be at Wahkiakum County Fair on August 17th for Dog & Cat day. September 15th is their five-year anniversary party which will feature a silent auction to raise funds for their cause. This will be held in Erickson Park from 12-4pm.

When asked what was next, “education is necessary,” touted Edwards. “It is important to get the word to the public about the need for and importance of animal advocacy.”

The board has gone through a transformation this year, with Edward (president), and Martin (vice president) welcoming Coleman (secretary), Virginia Martin as their treasurer, and Tina Melton, a former animal welfare officer, as a consultant. They encourage the community to continue to utilize WAAG’s programs. You can learn more about the mission of WAAG on their website, http://www.wahkiakumanimals.org.