Adopt A Dog asks city for funds

HRAAD is a 10-year-old nonprofit that provides the only dedicated, no-kill dog shelter services in Hood River County. Operating 365 days a year, on call 24/7, they take in lost, abandoned, and vulnerable dogs, quarantine them, provide medical care, and work toward adoption or reunification. In 2025 alone, HRAAD sheltered 115 dogs; according to Lyons, every dog returned home or found a new one.

Currently, all of the city’s animal control payments go to the county, which operates no shelter of its own. Thus, HRAAD raises roughly 80-89% of its revenue independently via grassroots donations and fundraising — an increasingly unsustainable reliance, Lyons explained, for the essential, fixed costs required of frontline animal care.

HRAAD is one of the nation’s few animal shelters that pays for a city or county operation. “It’s really backwards,” Lyons said.

The funding crisis has been perpetuated by eroding grant and donor funding; grants have decreased significantly as more funding is allocated to human-service needs, while community members have less liberty to donate due to the rising cost of living. Their single largest grant-like source, a generous bequest from Ross and Daphne Hukari (The Hukari Fund), is finite and will be fully exhausted next year.

“The entire county is under incredible financial strain,” Lyons said. “It’s tough to get a buck these days ... because there’s so much needed for human life. So there’s not as much available for dogs as there used to be.”

Quoting the City of Hood River’s mission statement, Lyons framed HRAAD as an aligned partner helping the city deliver essential, low-cost services that improve residents’ quality of life.

“I think we have proven we are stewards of the community,” she said. “So today, we are asking [the city] to invest in HRAAD. I think together we can continue providing these services.”

Councilors were appreciative and engaged, but ultimately indicated they need more information — especially from the county regarding animal control and contracts — before having an extended deliberation or making funding commitments.

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