Albany Woman’s Club raises funds for Albany Humane Society, welcomes development director

ALBANY – The women of the Albany Woman’s Club came to their November meeting with arms full of cat food and pet supplies. 

The members of the service organization spent the month gathering donations for the Albany Humane Society, and their service was recognized Thursday by Samantha Threadgill, the development director for the Humane Society. Threadgill gave the members a breakdown of what their local Humane Society does and how they can help support its mission.

Threadgill said the Albany Humane Society rescues about 3,000 animals a year, and currently is responsible for almost 250 animals both at the shelter and in temporary foster homes. That’s pretty much capacity, she said. 

“Our mission is to protect, care for, and speak for animals who cannot speak for themselves,” Threadgill said. 

The Albany Humane Society is an open-admission shelter, meaning legally it must take in every animal that goes through the door. Threadgill said in 2020, the shelter was euthanizing more than 50% of the animals it would intake. Shel said the local agency is proud to have brought that number down, eventually reaching “No-Kill” status, which means 90% of its animals left the shelter alive. 

However, she said this year the Albany Humane Society dipped below that 90%.

“This year’s been a rough one,” Threadgill said.

She encouraged members of the Albany Woman’s Club and Albany community members to volunteer with and donate directly to the Humane Society. She said more than half of the agency’s budget comes from donations. 

Support can look like monetary donations, and fostering and participating in annual events like “Bark at the Moon.” Threadgill said there are plans for a new 2026 event, called a “Lick-in.” Participants will be “locked in” a kennel with a shelter pet and will have to set a fundraising goal that bails them out. 

Threadgill said this event is unique because the lock-in gives participants a sense of what being in a shelter is like for an animal. 

“Imagine the smell of dogs all around them; it’s loud … it’s extremely stressful,” she said. “I remember the first lock in. … I was looking every time the door opened – for my friends that I had invited to come bail me out. That’s what the dogs do every time, cats do every time. They are looking for their person to come get them.”

Threadgill said one dog named Barbie, who is housed at the Sally Weatherbee Adoption Center, has been in the shelter for three years – more than half of her life. The Humane Society is pushing for her adoption because Barbie may face euthanization to clear up space. 

She said it’s the kindness of the community that keeps the Albany Humane Society going and that saves lives. 

“Every little bit counts to help us help as many animals as possible,” Threadgill said.