Get to Know Us

Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2007 and officially took over the sheltering of the City’s companion animals in 2009.  It is a common misconception that Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter (YVAS) is a division of the City of Billings. While we do maintain a contract with the City to care for Billings’ lost/stray animals, we are separate entities.  In fact, our City contract accounts for less than one-third of the shelter’s annual income, leaving us to raise the remainder of our budget through other means.  YVAS also maintains contracts with the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and the Laurel Police Department to house and reunite lost dogs.  YVAS hopes to one day provide an open-door policy to County cats.  We will accept cats from outside Billings city limits on a case-by-case basis, depending on adoptability and availability of space.  

Over the last decade, YVAS has grown to become the largest shelter in Montana, intaking over 5,000 animals every year.  YVAS has also made many changes over the years; ever-evolving to provide the best care for animals and the people of the Billings community.  Our current shelter programs include reuniting lost pets with their owners, adoption, foster care, volunteer, outreach & education, low-cost spay & neuter clinics, and our life-saving Working Cat Program.  We have recently partnered with the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program to increase our lifesaving capacity and improve the health and well-being of the animals in the community.

 

Mission Statement

“Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter is dedicated to strengthening the human-animal bond by providing compassionate and high-quality care, education, and resources to the community.”

About Us