The Best Albert Lea, MN Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2026

Humane Society of Freeborn County

he Humane Society of Freeborn County is a 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization. We are dedicated to providing the means for the prevention of cruelty to animals, to enforcing all laws designated for the protection of animals, to promoting responsible pet ownership, and to placing all adoptable animals into responsible homes. Together we can control overpopulation in our community with the education and assistance programs we provide. The Freeborn County Humane Society was founded in September of 1976, by a small group of animal lovers who wanted to make a difference in the abandoned and unwanted pets of Freeborn County. We did not have a formal meeting place or a place to shelter the animals that were taken in. We did, however have a shelter fund, which was building up slowly but surely. We met several different places and kept the animals we took in foster homes, which were difficult to find. We had several foster home events trying to get people to foster, but that is hard to do when you take in an animal to foster as you get attached to them and do not want to give them up. We bounced around for many years and to many places. We were given up on a couple of times, and asked the public for help in keeping the Humane Society going. Finally we got together a great group of people who were truly dedicated to helping the Freeborn County pets. We still struggled with fostering and meeting places but finally got a small office space where we could hold meetings and maybe once in a while, sneak in a cat or two to foster at the office. In 2006 the city hired an animal control officer who was really pushing for the city and the Humane Society to work together for the animals. Our director got together with the animal control officer and started brainstorming on the city shelter. They worked it out to where the city and the county would take in animals and when the city animal's time was up, the Humane Society would take them over and try and get them adopted out. When we got them, they were checked over by the vet and given their shots and spayed or neutered. We applied for spay/neuter grants to help with these surgeries. The animal control officer left to take another job and that left our director at the shelter. She talked to the city officials and started working on a plan to where the shelter would be run by the Humane Society but still be the property of the city as a no-kill shelter. It was a long process but was finally put into effect. The city and the Humane Society were given an award for this joint venture in 2009.