Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter

Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a community where every animal is cared for.

Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter (YVAS) is the largest-volume shelter in Montana; caring for thousands of lost & transitioning animals every year. We have 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, outreac

h & education, low-cost spay & neuter clinics, and our life-saving Working Cat Program. For more information about the shelter, please visit our website at www.yvas.org.

🚨 ONE! DAY! LEFT! 🚨Rico—one of last year's Critter Calendar winners—is here to remind you that time is almost up! ⏰🐾Voti...
08/30/2026

🚨 ONE! DAY! LEFT! 🚨

Rico—one of last year's Critter Calendar winners—is here to remind you that time is almost up! ⏰🐾

Voting for the 2027 Critter Calendar closes TOMORROW, August 31, at 8 PM! 🗳️📅

If your pet is in the running—or you're cheering on a favorite—now is the time to vote, vote, vote! Every final vote could make the difference. 🐶🐱🐰🦎

Let's lock in those final votes and finish strong! 🏁✨

https://www.gogophotocontest.com/yvas

🚨🐾 FLASH VOTING PROMO! 🐾🚨One of last year's Critter Calendar winners, Violet, asked us to shake things up a little… so w...
08/28/2026

🚨🐾 FLASH VOTING PROMO! 🐾🚨

One of last year's Critter Calendar winners, Violet, asked us to shake things up a little… so we're doubling the votes! 👀✨

⏰ For the next 48 hours only:
Spend $20 on votes and receive 20 FREE bonus votes!

That's 40 votes for the price of 20—double the voting power to help your pet climb the leaderboard! And just a reminder, we are on the FINAL TWO DAYS of this fundraiser!

Whether your pet is competing for the cover or a featured month, now is the purr-fect time to rally your friends, family, and fans. Go vote, share, and give your favorite critter a boost! 💚🐾

https://www.gogophotocontest.com/yvas

This is Dolly! 🩷🐾✨️UPDATE: ADOPTED! 🥰Dolly was brought to us just one week ago, and we immediately noticed something a l...
08/27/2026

This is Dolly! 🩷🐾✨️

UPDATE: ADOPTED! 🥰

Dolly was brought to us just one week ago, and we immediately noticed something a little different about this sweet girl. Dolly's hind legs are completely paralyzed, so she gets around by army crawling with her tiny front legs carrying her long body and big head.

But don't let that fool you—Dolly has determination.

Our staff quickly saw a light in this sweet 2-year-old pup. She is loving, determined, and just needed a little help getting around. We tried a small wheelchair that had been generously donated to us months ago, and Dolly began scooting gracefully across the floor as she learned how to use it!

There was just one problem... even after several customizations, the chair is simply too big for Dolly's tiny frame. After further evaluating Dolly and her needs, we made the decision to invest in a properly fitted wheelchair designed for her size.

After an in-depth examination with our shelter veterinarian, Dr. Brinlee, and time spent monitoring Dolly's daily needs, we have learned that she will require lifelong, hands-on care. Her paralysis means she will need daily baths, regular cleaning and monitoring of sores, her bladder expressed every day, and diapers and drag bags to help keep her clean and comfortable.

Dolly's condition cannot be reversed, and caring for her will require significant time, patience, and commitment from her future family. However, the right equipment can make a meaningful difference in her quality of life. A properly fitted wheelchair will give Dolly more freedom to move, explore, play, and interact with other dogs.

And one more important fun fact about Dolly? She seems to have a preference for blondes! 😉🩷

Even if you aren't able to adopt this incredibly special girl, please consider donating using the link below to help us assist more special needs pets like Dolly! 🩷🐾

https://yvas.org/ways-to-give/

This month’s Staff Favorite isssss… HAZEL! 🐾🌟Chosen by Animal Care Tech, Robert, this sweet soul is currently searching ...
08/26/2026

This month’s Staff Favorite isssss… HAZEL! 🐾🌟

Chosen by Animal Care Tech, Robert, this sweet soul is currently searching for her new home! Hazel is vision impaired, but that hasn’t stopped her from being an incredibly brave girl as she adjusts to her surroundings. She isn’t completely blind and is able to see shapes and shadows!

Hazel has shown to do well with other dogs who are respectful of her space and understand that she may need a little extra time to learn about her environment.

Her ideal home? One that doesn’t rearrange the furniture too often and doesn’t mind a little accidental bump now and then!

If you’re ready to add some low-sighted love to your life, come meet Hazel today! 🐾💚

View Hazel and our other Adoptable dogs here: https://yvas.org/directory/pet-type/dogs

DOG DAYS AT THE POOL! 🐾💦Calling all water-loving pups! We hope to see you at this year’s Dog Days at the Pool for an aft...
08/26/2026

DOG DAYS AT THE POOL! 🐾💦

Calling all water-loving pups! We hope to see you at this year’s Dog Days at the Pool for an afternoon of swimming, splashing, and cooling off!

And of course, YVAS will be there with FREE Pup Cups for all our four-legged friends!

📍 Rose Park Pool, August 30th
⏰ 12 PM–3 PM
💵 $4 per dog, humans FREE!

A huge thank you to Billings Parks and Recreation for hosting this paws-itively awesome event and giving our pups a chance to beat the summer heat! ☀️🐶

Please note, this event is for pups to cool off and enjoy the pool! Owners and people are not permitted to swim at this event.

From helping animals to helping our community! 🐾🌿We know just how much hard work and dedication our volunteers pour into...
08/25/2026

From helping animals to helping our community! 🐾🌿

We know just how much hard work and dedication our volunteers pour into YVAS, which is why every once in a while, we love getting out into the community and tackling a project that has nothing to do with animals!

This time, we teamed up with the wonderful Billings Parks and Recreation team to help remove invasive plant species from Riverfront Park. 🌱💪

Not only did we get our hands dirty, but we also had the opportunity to learn more about invasive species and why removing them is so important to protecting our local parks and ecosystems.

A huge thank you to Billings Parks & Recreation for welcoming us, teaching us, and giving our team the chance to give back in a whole new way! We can't wait for our next community adventure! 💚🌎

UPDATE: THIS CLINIC IS NOW FULL! Please reach out to your primary care vet for future offerings of the RHD vaccine. 🐰Rab...
08/24/2026

UPDATE: THIS CLINIC IS NOW FULL! Please reach out to your primary care vet for future offerings of the RHD vaccine.

🐰Rabbit owners: have you heard of RHDV2?🐰

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) is a highly contagious and often fatal disease that affects domestic and wild rabbits. It can cause sudden death, sometimes with very few warning signs. It does not affect people, dogs, or cats.

‼RHD HAS BEEN FOUND WITHIN THE CITY OF BILLINGS‼

Your rabbit does not have to come into direct contact with another rabbit to be exposed. The virus can spread through contaminated food, bedding, equipment, hands, shoes, clothing, and contact with infected rabbits or their environment. RHDV2 is serious, but good biosecurity and vaccination can help protect your rabbit.

Here are some ways to reduce your rabbit's risk:
🧼 Wash your hands before handling your rabbit
👟 Keep potentially contaminated shoes, clothing, and equipment away from your rabbit
🐰 Keep your rabbit away from wild rabbits and unfamiliar domestic rabbits
🏠 Practice good cleaning and disinfection of cages, carriers, bowls, and other equipment
🐇 Ask your regular veterinarian about RHDV2 vaccination and if it is something they have available. An USDA-listed RHDV2 vaccine is available in the U.S.

We are aware that at this time not all exotic/rabbit veterinarians in Billings have access to the RHDV2 vaccination yet. YVAS currently has a VERY LIMITED quantity of the RHDV2 vaccination and has planned ONE public clinic date (with follow up booster date.) Please contact your regular vet for inquiries about future RHD vaccine offerings.

‼IMPORTANT NOTE: The RHDV2 Vaccination is administered as a series of 2 vaccines, 21 days apart in order to be considered effective. Dates for 2nd doses have been predetermined by YVAS based on initial vaccination dates
Initial Vaccine September 2nd —-> 2nd Dose September 23rd

*2nd doses will be automatically scheduled for 9/23 for the same time slot as your initial appointment. Pre-registration for initial appointments is required. The $30 registration fee includes 2 doses of RHDV2 vaccination and an AKC Reunite Microchip.

👉SIGN UP HERE: https://pci.jotform.com/form/262246377313154

🚨 If a rabbit becomes suddenly ill or dies unexpectedly, contact your veterinarian BEFORE bringing the rabbit or its belongings into a veterinary clinic, since RHDV2 can spread easily.

If you have a pet rabbit, now is a great time to talk with your veterinarian about RHDV2 prevention!

🚨🐾 ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT! 🐾🚨The countdown is on for the 2027 Critter Calendar Contest, and we need your help choosing this ...
08/24/2026

🚨🐾 ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT! 🐾🚨

The countdown is on for the 2027 Critter Calendar Contest, and we need your help choosing this year's winners! 📅✨

With so many adorable contenders in the running, every vote counts. The top critters will earn a coveted spot in the new calendar—and the winners will even receive an official photoshoot with the fabulous Miranda Murdock Photography ! 📸🐶🐱

Click the link below to:
📸 Submit your pet's photo
🗳️ Vote for your favorite contenders
📅 Pre-order your 2027 Critter Calendar

Every dollar raised helps support animals right here in our community. Help us find this year's calendar stars before time runs out! 🐈❤️🐶

https://www.gogophotocontest.com/yvas

💙🧺 Some heroes don't wear capes—they wash laundry. 🧺💙When we were displaced on September 10, we quickly realized how muc...
08/23/2026

💙🧺 Some heroes don't wear capes—they wash laundry. 🧺💙

When we were displaced on September 10, we quickly realized how much we relied on our on-site laundry facility. Clean towels, blankets, and bedding are essential to keeping shelter animals comfortable, healthy, and safe—and without laundry access, we faced the possibility of throwing away these items after every use.

Then Spin Fresh Laundry stepped in. They generously offered to wash our laundry at no cost to YVAS, helping us conserve valuable resources and focus on caring for the animals during one of the most difficult times in our organization's history.

Even today, while we still don't have a permanent laundry hookup, Spin Fresh continues to be an incredible partner. To the entire Spin Fresh team: thank you for helping us keep our mission moving forward, one load of laundry at a time. 💙🐾

As Foster Appreciation Week comes to an end, we want to purr-sonally thank every single one of you for the love, patienc...
08/22/2026

As Foster Appreciation Week comes to an end, we want to purr-sonally thank every single one of you for the love, patience, time, and dedication you give to the animals in our community.

Our fosters open their homes and hearts to animals who need a little extra help—whether that means bottle-feeding tiny babies, giving a shy animal the confidence to blossom, or simply providing a safe and loving place to land. We truly couldn't do what we do without you. 🏡🐶🐱

To close out this special week, we wanted to share a beautiful poem we read together last August—one that perfectly captures the heart of fostering and the incredible impact these selfless individuals have on every animal they welcome into their home. 💚🐾

Thank you, fosters, for loving them until they find their forever. 🥹💕

A poem from a foster to conclude Foster Appreciation Week:

You helped me overcome my fear
You helped me make new friends
You helped me gain my confidence..taught me to love again

You gave me a second chance...at life, at love, at home.
You never gave up hope; you made me never want to roam
Although we may not meet again,
in my heart you will always stay;
No matter where I go,
I'll love you to the end of days.
💚💚💚

Be the second chance for animals in need by signing up to become a YVAS foster home. If you can't foster, you can still help support this vital program by making a donation today, or by purchasing items from our Wish List. Every little act of kindness makes a huge difference!

Foster: https://yvas.org/get-involved/foster/

Support: https://yvas.org/donate-support/

Address

5056 Jellison Road
Billings, MT
59101

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 7pm
Tuesday 12pm - 7pm
Thursday 12pm - 7pm
Friday 12pm - 7pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+14062947387

Website

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