The Waldo County Humane Society was founded in 1895 to protect children and animals. Over the course of many years, as programs were developed for child welfare the Waldo County Humane Society became more focused on animal welfare issues. In 1980 the Waldo County Humane Society in conjunction with County and Municipal support opened the Claude Clements Animal Shelter serving all of Waldo County. After several years due to budget constraints the County dropped their support and towns started to cut back on their support. By 1987, the Waldo County Humane Society was solely financially supporting the Shelter. In 1998, it became obvious that the Waldo County Humane Society could no longer afford to support the Shelter and we were forced to close it. The Board of Directors immediately voted to offer programs to the Waldo County residents. The first program to be started was the spay/neuter assistance program. The Waldo County Humane Society is a 501c3 organization.