About Us

The mission of the Avery County Humane Society is to help our community respond humanely to the needs of animals. The Society provides a shelter for cats and dogs that are lost, abandoned or unwanted, sponsors rabies clinics, offers access to low-cost spay/neuter services, and partners with the local prison in the New Leash on Life obedience training program.

Our shelter staff does a super job placing homeless animals. Our website is networked with adoption programs across the country, and we have had folks come from as far away as Alabama, Michigan, California, and Canada to adopt from the Avery Shelter. In 2009 we found loving homes for 493 pets and returned another 49 pets to their owners.

The new Avery County Adoption and Humane Education Center is under construction on New Vale Road behind Ingles in Newland. The goal is to have the new shelter open for business in early spring.

A small brick house located adjacent to the new shelter site in Newland is operated as the Paws & Claws Resale Shop. The shop accepts donations of new and lightly used items which are under appreciated in their original homes - but are destined to become treasures in their new homes. Paws & Claws does for furniture, clothing, nick-knacks and household items what our adoption center does for the animals of Avery County!