Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter

The Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter (SMAS), in conjunction with the Mahaska Humane Society, takes in and cares for the over 800 stray, abandoned, and otherwise homeless animals that come through its doors each year. The SMAS provides each animal in its care with basic veterinary care (i.e., core vaccinations, internal/external parasite treatment, spay and neuter surgery etc..) and subsequently places these animals into new adoptive homes. In addition to its adoption program, the SMAS provides animal control services to all of Mahaska County and serves to educate the community about responsible pet ownership through speaking engagements to organizations and clubs within the community, and visits to local elementary school classrooms. Through its’ “Spay the County” program, the SMAS and Mahaska Humane Society is able to offer spay/neuter surgery to pets owned by low-income residents of Mahaska County at no cost to them through a voucher program and support from local veterinarians. The SMAS is funded partially by the City of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County, but almost 65% of it's funding comes from two large annual fundraisers: an annual 5K and dog walk in the fall and sales of gourmet double chocolate caramel apples in early spring. 

The Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter (SMAS) is an animal welfare organization in Oskaloosa, IA, that provides services for all of Mahaska County, Iowa. These services include animal control, rehoming stray, abandoned, or otherwise homeless pets, public education regarding responsible pet ownership and animal safety, low-cost spay/neuter, and partnering with other animal shelters in the region to help with disaster response.