1175 Old Highway 16 Jefferson, NC 28640 (336-982-4297) http://ashehumanesociety.org

The Ashe County Humane Society works to promote the welfare of companion animals in the community through programs and strategies aimed at improving responsible pet ownership and reducing the pet population.


The Ashe County Humane Society was formed in March, 2004 by a group of people brought together by their concerns for the welfare of animals in Ashe County, North Carolina. In the past years, several attempts had been made in the community to form a humane society; all failing for various reasons, but primarily because of individual member’s inability to contribute the time, energy and focus necessary to ensure the success of the Society.

An early asset to the newly formed 2004 Society was the leadership and experience contributed by John Lisk. John gained his extensive leadership experience as a past Executive Director of a large metropolitan Humane Society in South Florida. He assisted volunteers of the Ashe County Humane Society to form a plan for success. He emphasized the need for coordination and planning and the importance of having a centralized person to perform that function in the organization. He recruited a former employee for that position and a plan was presented to the members in June 2004.

A mission statement was written and programs developed that revolved around supporting the mission of “Saving and Protecting Animals of Ashe County”. Publicity and fundraising were targeted as primary needs in order to establish the Society in the community and enable it to achieve its long term goals. We have grown our efforts every year thanks to our donors, volunteers and local businesses.

We received our 501c3 status in 2006.

The Humane Society’s efforts have worked well since 2004. We now have a permanent facility, provide spay/neuter vouchers to local residents for their pets, have a small foster program in place and have a viable pet adoption program. Future plans include building permanent dog kennels and cat facilities so that we can provide a temporary home for unwanted animals. This takes a commitment of funds that we don’t have at the present but hope to secure in the future.