Asheville Humane Society

  • Animals
  • Community

Who We Are

Mission: To build a supportive community that positively impacts pets and people.

Asheville Humane Society is a local, independent nonprofit organization. Since 1984, we’ve dedicated ourselves to ensuring every animal has the quality of life they deserve – a life worth living. Now, we go beyond our walls to help create a more humane community for pets and the people who love them.

We are deeply committed to the compassionate treatment of every animal in our community. Our core ideology is expressed in a widely-adopted set of animal welfare principles entitled, “The Five Domains.” Every animal should have:

  1. Good Nutrition – animals should have access to the right quality of fresh water and food to suit their needs and keep them happy
  2. Good Environment – animals should have a suitable place to rest and get shelter, and which is not stressful or gives them a negative emotional experience
  3. Good Health – Disease and injury should be prevented, and if it does happen, it should be treated quickly and as stress free as possible
  4. Appropriate Behavior – animals should have enough space, proper facilities, company of their own kind, and opportunities to make their own decisions
  5. Positive Mental Experiences – negative emotional experiences should be eliminated or reduced and animals should be provided positive emotional experiences

What We Do

We accomplish our mission through:

  • Compassion – We have a deep, genuine regard for the experience, needs, and welfare of every animal and person.
  • Professional Integrity – We hold ourselves to a high standard of respect, competence, and skill in working with animals, community members, and each other. We are ethical and fair in every action we take, and we communicate with honesty and transparency.
  • Solution-Oriented Mindset – We strive to learn and seek solutions to achieve the best practices and to stay on the leading edge of animal welfare.
  • Community Connection – We engage our community proactively and respectfully to ensure that pets and their people thrive together.
  • Inclusivity – We value thoughts, collaborations, and collective care for the animals and people in our community. We listen to and seek to understand the needs of each person and animal and be responsive to those needs.