Mission
The Lemhi County Humane Society (LCHS) owns and operates the Salmon Animal Shelter, where we provide high quality sheltering services for homeless companion animals from Lemhi County. The LCHS also provides funds for public spay and neuter programs in an attempt to decrease the number of dogs and cats entering our shelter. We are also the first line of defense against animal abuse and neglect, and work closely with law enforcement officials to ensure that all animals in Lemhi County are treated in a kind and humane manner.
You can help – donate today!
The Lemhi County Humane Society is a non-profit, charitable 501(c)(3) organization Fed ID# 82-0327764. We depend on donations to help fund our operating costs, and are grateful for donations of any size. If you wish to help by making a tax-deductible contribution, you may donate online:
If you’re not comfortable donating online, send a check the old-fashioned way to:
Lemhi County Humane Society
PO Box 1918 Salmon, ID 83467
History of the Lemhi County Humane Society
The Lemhi County Humane Society got its start when, in the early 1970’s, a local high school student voiced his concerns regarding the state of the local city animal pound to his teacher, Kay Stone. She listened and shared his concerns with other citizens of Lemhi County. Several locals then joined together to form the Lemhi County Humane Society (L.C.H.S.), which was incorporated in 1977.
Initially there was a drive to raise funds but it was quickly recognized that there needed to be a continuous flow of income in order to run the Society’s animal shelter. It was decided that a thrift store would be a good money maker. A contest was held to name the thrift store, and it was a high school senior who suggested the winning name: Rags & Wags. Originally located in a shack on Shoup Street, the board of L.C.H.S. soon realized that a better structure was warranted. The board purchased a more suitable building closer to the downtown area, known as Old Blue, which is where Rags & Wags was located until recently. In the fall of 2009 L.C.H.S. entered into an agreement with the Odd Fellows Rocky Mountain Lodge #5 to purchase their Main Street building to serve as the new home of Rags & Wags.
The Odd Fellows building is approximately 110 years old and has an interesting history of its own. It was built by men from the mining town of Leesburg, who would descend to the Salmon Valley on weekends to work on the building and then return to their mining jobs during the week. Construction began in 1897 and was completed in 1902. The original title on the building dates from a time when Idaho was still a territory. The Odd Fellow Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the 1980’s, L.C.H.S. and the City of Salmon entered into an agreement allowing the Society to build a shelter on city property. The Society leases the land from the city for $1 per year, but the shelter building and surrounding outbuildings are owned by the Society. As each year passes, additions have been made to improve the lives of the animals while in the care of the L.C.H.S. In recent years, a large Bark Park was built for the dogs and – thanks to a generous benefactor – a major renovation to expand the office and cat area was completed in the fall of 2010.
There are always opportunities to enhance the lives of animals under the care of the L.C.H.S. We invite you to share your ideas for improvements, and to give generously so that we can continue to grow and expand both our infrastructure and our services.
Board Members
Adrienne Rigsby
Adrienne Rigsby has worked and volunteered in zoos and animal shelters in Utah, Indiana, Hawaii, and Idaho. Her career now is with local river outfitters, residing and recreating in Salmon with her husband, cat, dog, and chickens
Louise Brannon
A native Idahoan, Louise Brannon has lived in Lemhi County since 1988. Her degree in English comes in handy when reading to foster kittens and sorting book donations at Rags & Wags. She has written three books about life in the West, using her husband Bob’s last name (Wagenknecht).
Cindy Phelps
Cindy has lived in Lemhi County since 2006. Prior to that she was a faculty member in the Chemistry department at Cal State University in Chico. There, she honed her grant writing skills, which has been of great benefit to the Lemhi County Humane Society. Cindy has always involved herself in improving the lives of animals of one sort or another, and spent many years doing wildlife rescue in CA and AZ prior to volunteering with the Salmon Animal Shelter. She can be reached at: bodcindy@salmonanimalshelter.com.
Diana Weiss
Diana Vincent Weiss was born in Santa Barbara, CA. She received her BS degree from Kansas State in 1970 and came to Montana in 1999. She met and married Jim Weiss from Wisdom and moved to Salmon in 2003. Diana joined the board of the Lemhi County Humane Society in 2006 and volunteers as the board liaison who oversees the workings of Rags and Wags. You will find her every Saturday working at the store.
Kathy Hatch
Laura K Hatch, aka Kathy, was born in Salmon, Idaho and raised in Leadore.
Kathy left Idaho and lived in Texas, Nevada and Oregon. In 1993 she returned to Lemhi County to work for the US Postal Service. She and her husband are ranchers, and she is the founder and president of the American Appendix Horse Association. She has been a volunteer at Rags and Wags for six years and been on the board of Lemhi County Humane Society for five.