KHS has one dog that has tested positive with the Canine Influenza virus. Unfortunately, this means all dogs in the shelter at the time of diagnosis have potentially been exposed to this virus and may be currently infected.

Because Canine Influenza is highly contagious and airborne, KHS main and puppy kennels are closed to the public and dog adoptions are temporarily on hold. Please know that this is a public safety issue. We do not want the public to come into our kennels, be exposed to the virus and take it home to your own dogs or spread germs amongst our residents. The virus is not contagious to felines or humans. We will continue to monitor this situation very closely and re-evaluate our dog adoptions in five days time. This virus usually passes quickly and canines are most contagious on days 2-5 of exposure to the virus.

Our dedicated staff and volunteers will still conduct animal enrichment activities and our vet services team is ensuring that all dogs are hydrated, getting good nutrition and resting. Kennels are always cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis, and we will be throwing away all exposed bedding. It is much safer to just have new, fresh bedding, rather than used. So, if anyone has any dog beds, blankets, etc. that you can do without, we will gladly take it!

We are taking this situation very seriously, but please know that it is just a routine protocol and Canine Influenza has made many other appearances at shelters and boarding kennels across the US. Actually, KHS was fortunate to receive a Petfinder.com Foundation grant for 1,748 Canine Influenza vaccines! That means we will be able to vaccinate new dogs coming into our shelter, hopefully avoiding another situation like this.

Our cat adoptions are continuing as normal (we have some cuties here!) and if you are interested in a KHS dog, take a sneak peak at them online! http://www.kitsap-humane.org/available-pets.

If you have any questions, please contact our Animal Welfare Department. For donations, please contact Erin Moydell at 360.692.6977, ext. 1225 or emoydell@kitsap-humane.org.