Lemhi County Humane Society Inc.

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.

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.