Coconino Humane Association

It is the mission of the Coconino Humane Association to operate a humane and caring shelter that will give aid to unwanted, abandoned, and mistreated animals in Flagstaff and across northern Arizona. We pride ourselves on being a voice for dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals in Flagstaff, Williams, Coconino County and the Hopi Nation.

The Coconino Humane Association was founded in 1955 by a group of concerned and dedicated people who felt there needed to be a change in the way animals were being treated in Northern Arizona. The shelter was built with donations from businesses, service organizations, and a few very dedicated individuals. The Forest Service leased five acres to the Humane Shelter, located in the area where Interstate 40 and Butler Avenue now intersect. Even with these contributions, it took three years to complete the project. Through the work of the founders and supporters in the community, Northern Arizona received its first Animal Shelter in 1958.

In the early 1970's due to the construction of I-40 and the growth of Flagstaff, the Forest Service did not renew the lease on the land that the shelter was built upon. The Humane Society was faced with finding a new location. Again with the help of residents, local businesses, and matching funds from the Bois Dubois Foundation, the Coconino Humane Association in 1972 started the construction of a new facility to care for the homeless and unwanted animals in Northern Arizona. The shelter is located in the area of Fourth Street and Butler Avenue, where it remains today.

The Coconino Humane Association contracted with the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County for close to fifty (50) years as the contracted animal control shelter but as of January 1, 2019 the shelter is no longer provides animal control sheltering services and has become a limited-admission no-kill shelter. By making these drastic fundamental changes we are now in a position to provide increased care and services to animals that require additional veterinary medical services to become healthy are ready for their new homes!

Flagstaff and the surrounding community are one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Along with the increase in human population in the Flagstaff area comes an increase in the number of domestic animals living and breeding in Northern Arizona. The Coconino Humane Association serves the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, the City of Williams and the Hopi Nation. The shelter provides and participates in multiple programs to reduce costs of the spaying and neutering of pets in our area. The shelter provides temporary shelter for homeless and unwanted pets, educational programs, and of course provides pet adoptions - more than 3,000 in 2018!

1. Shelter for Homeless and Unwanted Animals:
The Coconino Humane Association serves as a shelter for a variety of homeless and unwanted animals and they are not just dogs and cats! We care for all pets regardless of fur, feathers, fins or scales!

- We receive animals impounded by the Hopi Tribe and Williams Animal Control Officers.
- We provide assistance to other shelters throughout the state by transferring animals to our shelter that are at risk for euthanasia due to overcrowding.
- Most of the animals are unwanted pets surrendered to the Humane Association by area residents.

Last year we provided sheltering and care to over 2,200 pets. Our adoption process is stress free and focuses on the animal's needs and the animal/human bond.

2. Education:
The education department functions in many areas. Instructors provide schools, day care centers, and other groups in our community the opportunity to be informed of the importance of having pets spayed or neutered, as well as other topics including bite prevention, health care, animal cruelty, and general obedience training.

3. Animal Emergency Response and Support:
The Shelter provides a crucial service for animals and communities by responding to requests for assistance for emergency situations where animals may be in precarious or dangerous situations. We provide assistance and manpower to help small community animal control agencies in Northern Arizona with animal cruelty cases, hoarding cases, and by setting up emergency evacuation shelters when the situation is too big for a single agency to handle. These situations may be as simple as providing extra sets of hands or as complex as providing emergency sheltering for 500 animals.