Humane Animal Treatment Society continually expands care in Isabella County

“What drives us is the belief that every animal deserves love, care, and a chance to thrive. We’re committed to educating others about responsible pet ownership, supporting pet owners through tough times, and always advocating for humane treatment of animals. That’s what HATS is really about — making a meaningful difference, one life at a time.” – Sera Henry

The Humane Animal Treatment Society (HATS) has been making mid Michigan a safer place for companion animals through life-saving programs and community education since 1999. Last year, the center took in 979 animals, had 678 adoptions, facilitated 165 transfers to/from rescue partners, reunited 127 pets with their owners, and had a 95% save rate. 

Sera Henry began her position as executive director of HATS in November 2024 after a long career in healthcare operations. Today, she oversees all departments, programming, and donor management and relations. 

Epicenter Mt. Pleasant spoke with Henry about her role, the supportive community of Isabella County, and the upcoming Laugh Your HATs Off fundraiser. 

Epicenter Mt. Pleasant: What inspired or motivated you to get into this industry?

Sera Henry: I had been working in senior living for over 15 years, and my position required travel all over the state of Michigan. My family and I decided to move back to Farwell, Michigan, my hometown, and I wanted to make an impact locally, and still give back to my community. I was already an avid dog rescuer with five rescue dogs at home, two rescue cats, and a guinea pig! 

Epicenter: In your own words, how do you describe the mission and heart of what the Humane Animal Treatment Society is? 

Henry: For me, the heart of HATS is about giving animals a second chance—saving lives and creating hope where there was none. We do so much more than a typical municipal shelter has the resources to do, because we are also an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our work is only possible because of donations, community support, and grants, and I truly believe that every effort we make helps build a kinder, more compassionate community. 

What drives us is the belief that every animal deserves love, care, and a chance to thrive. We’re committed to educating others about responsible pet ownership, supporting pet owners through tough times, and always advocating for humane treatment of animals. That’s what HATS is really about—making a meaningful difference, one life at a time.

Epicenter: What are some of the resources, services and programming that the Isabella County HATS offers? 

Henry: HATS is the sole animal shelter in Isabella County. This means that we have a municipal shelter contract with the county and are required to take every stray, surrenders, animal control seizure, etc. from Isabella County. All animals that enter HATS and become a HATS animal, are fully vetted, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered before they are adopted. In addition to caring for homeless pets in Isabella County, we operate a full time spay/neuter clinic that offers reduced and free spay/neuter services. 

Our clinic offers these services year round, and does a very high volume of spay/neuters every year. In addition to that, we offer free TNR services for community/feral cats, and help take care of colonies of cats in the county through our Community Caretaker Form. We also have a pet pantry open to the public where dog and cat food can be picked up for free if they are struggling to provide for their animals. Depending on grants, we offer free vaccines throughout the year as well. 

Epicenter: How has the organization grown and changed since its inception in 1999?

Henry: Our kennel capacity back in 1999 was less than 20 kennels for the dogs and small area for cats. We now have over 200+ animals in our care any given day with over 65 dog kennels, and on-site capacity for over 100 cats. The health clinic was also added in 2013 with programs continuing to expand. We now have a robust foster program that allows us to accommodate more animals than ever before. 

Epicenter: What kind of positive impact has the Humane Animal Treatment Society been able to have on mid Michigan? 

Henry: Every year HATS saves over 1,000 animals, as well as spays/neuters over 1,000 animals each year at a reduced/free cost to the community. Our hope is that through our programs and initiatives, we are helping the county to become more community accountability focused when it comes to the care of animals in our county, and that we are reducing the population of homeless pets!

Epicenter: To what do you credit this positive impact: the passionate staff, volunteers, donors, fundraising events, grants, etc.? 

Henry: This positive impact wouldn’t be possible without the community. Every year we are overwhelmed with the amount of support we receive from the community through volunteering, fostering, and donations! We also heavily rely on grants to continue to advance our programs as well, as our annual operating budget is over $500,000 a year to do the work that we do. 

Epicenter: Can you share a story from your time there that is a great example of what the difference that this organization can have on animals, pet owners, and the community? 

Henry: This is a tough one to answer because there are so many examples! Our medical cases in 2025 are definitely the ones that speak to our hearts, as we are able to rescue and rehabilitate animals that otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance due to neglect, abuse, or would have had a completely different outcome in a shelter without our capacity and commitment to no-kill. Our entire team goes through Fear Free Training, and extensive training on animal behavior, so that no matter what situation an animal came from we can do our absolute best to set them up for success in the future. 

Our most memorable medical cases this year have been Clecocatra, a kitten with a femoral head fracture that would not have survived if she wouldn’t have made it to HATS. Our community rallied around her, and 4 Paws Rehabilitation here in Mt. Pleasant even donated her therapy to help her wound to heal, fosters stepped up, donations were made for her care etc. Very similar to this would be Cadbury, our little Easter puppy that was abandoned in Nelson park, brought to us by a good samaritan thankfully, had a skull fracture, major damage to his one eye resulting in it being removed, and a jaw fracture. Despite his rough start, he was an active, loving puppy who thrived in foster and ultimately found his forever home!

Epicenter: Are there any misconceptions about the organization or industry you’d like to clear up? 

Henry: Yes, most people do not know that we are an independent 501(c)(3) organization. We have a municipal contract with the county to provide municipal animal services for the county, but this only makes up less than one-fifth of our annual operating budget. All of our programs are funded through grants, donors, and fundraisers!

Epicenter: Tell us about the upcoming Oct. 10 Laugh Your HATs Off comedy show fundraiser and the goal of the event? 

Henry: Laugh Your HATS Off is our largest fundraiser of the year with a goal to fundraise 25% or more of our annual operating budget. At this fundraiser, we celebrate the success of the year, the work we have accomplished with the community’s support, and we do it while having fun! 

The doors open at 6:30 p.m. with a few local vendors, and over 12 food sponsors that offer small bites and plates to eat during the reception. At 7:45 p.m. the impact auction starts, which is a quick and exciting way to raise additional funds for HATS. Immediately following there are two comedians ready to help us Laugh Our HATS Off! Tickets are only $50 and available to purchase online at https://givebutter.com/tHexnu, or on-site at HATS up until the day of the event!

Epicenter: How can folks get more involved with the Humane Animal Treatment Society? 

Henry: Stop by and see us! We are happy to show you around, talk about what we do, and figure out how you can best support HATS. Our website also has detailed information on our volunteer and foster programs. Fostering is truly life saving, especially when our shelter has been at max capacity for almost the entire year. If volunteering or fostering are not an option, we have many different donation options on our website, our Amazon wish list where you can purchase animal care items we are in need of, and can donate gently used pet items, pet medications, food, and more. 

We are also always looking for volunteers to host and run independent events such as their business giving back, running a small fundraiser like bake sales, etc. This can all be found at www.hatsweb.org