Heart of the Valley

What Heart of the Valley does

Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating an open-admission animal shelter in Bozeman, Montana, serving the Gallatin and Madison Valleys. Incorporated in 1973 as the Humane Society of Gallatin Valley, the organization merged with The Animal Services Center Inc. in March 2004 and moved to its current 19,850 square-foot facility on 56 acres at 1549 E. Cameron Bridge Road in October 2007. The shelter operates as a contracted stray holding facility for Gallatin County, the City of Bozeman, the City of Belgrade, and the Town of Manhattan, and accepts any dog or cat regardless of condition or circumstance without euthanizing for space or length of stay. Operational performance is anchored by a 96% overall save rate and a 12-day average length of stay, serving over 3,400 pets annually with an average daily census of approximately 180 animals.

The organization's service portfolio spans companion animal adoption, lost and found pet reunification, surrender services, low-cost microchipping, free spay/neuter assistance for low-income residents (SNAP), Trap-Neuter-Return for feral cats, dog training classes, behavior consultations, cremation services, humane education, summer camp, and community room rental. The underlying technology stack is composed of commercial SaaS integrations — Better Impact for volunteer management, Acuity Scheduling for class bookings, CampDoc for summer camp registration, and the Home To Home rehoming platform — rather than proprietary technology development.

Heart of the Valley generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit model: individual and corporate donations, a Monthly Donor Program at $25/$50/$100 tiers, adoption fees ($35-$225 depending on animal age and type), municipal stray-holding contracts, special events (Dog Ball gala raised $385K+; Tails & Trails at Big Sky Resort), planned giving and the Best Friends Forever Endowment fund, cremation services, dog training, microchipping, community room rental, and Montana specialty license plate proceeds. The organization has approximately 30-40 staff, a multi-tier volunteer program (PAW, Junior PAW, Foster), and over 100 local business partnerships for donation collection across Bozeman, Belgrade, Ennis, West Yellowstone, and Big Sky.

Name

Heart of the Valley

Legal name

Heart of the Valley, Inc.

Website

https://www.heartofthevalleyshelter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heart of the Valley is a non-profit organization that provides shelters for dogs and cats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Shelter Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Veterinary Services (541940), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAIAA

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Animal Welfare & Wildlife Rescue

SECONDARYBPAGAIAD

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Animal Welfare & Wildlife Rescue

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption programs
• Veterinary clinic services
• Animal welfare nonprofit
• Community pet programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bozeman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Adoption Fees: HOV charges adoption fees for dogs and cats that have been spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed and received medical/behavioral evaluation. Fees range from $35 (senior cats) to $225 (puppies).
2. Individual Donations: The shelter is supported primarily through generous contributions of individuals, businesses and foundations. Donations can be made online, by mail, by phone, or through the Amazon Wish List.
3. Monthly Donor Program: Monthly donors commit to giving $25, $50, or $100 per month to support local lost and homeless pets.
4. Special Events: Annual fundraising events including Dog Ball and Tails & Trails generate significant revenue. Dog Ball 2026 raised over $385,000.
5. Municipal Contracts: HOV has contracts to serve as a stray holding facility for Gallatin County, City of Bozeman, City of Belgrade and Town of Manhattan.
6. Cremation Services: HOV provides cremation services, either private cremation with ashes returned to guardian or communal cremation with no ashes returned.
7. Community Room Rental: Spot's Community Room is available for hourly rentals at $30/hour for meetings, trainings, or parties. Accommodates up to 50 people with small kitchenette.
8. Dog Training Classes: Puppy Socialization classes (5-week, $125), Basic Manners classes, and Private Lessons ($50 for HOV Alumni, $75 for non-HOV Alumni).
9. Planned Giving and Endowment: Best Friends Forever Endowment fund established for long-term financial stability. Accepts bequests, retirement plan assets, life insurance, securities, and charitable IRA distributions. Montana Endowment Tax Credit offers 40% tax credit up to $15,000.
10. Microchipping Services: Low-cost microchipping service for dogs and cats at $40 per chip during normal business hours by appointment.
11. Planned Giving - Securities: HOV accepts gifts of appreciated securities (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) with tax benefits. Stock transferred through DA Davidson (DTC 0361, Account 6221-5781).
12. Birthday Party Rentals: Birthday party package at $130 including use of Community Room, shelter tour, opportunity to meet shelter pets, birthday t-shirt, and naming rights for an incoming stray pet.
13. Pet Pals Summer Camp: 7-week summer day camp for children ages 6-12 at $270 per week with need-based scholarships available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter is a 501(c)(3) open-admission nonprofit animal shelter that shelters and rehomes lost and surrendered dogs and cats in the Gallatin and Madison Valleys of Montana. The shelter operates a single 19,850 sq ft facility offering pet adoption, lost/found pet reunification, low-cost veterinary care including spay/neuter and microchipping, dog training, cremation, behavior consultations, humane education, and foster and volunteer programs, supported primarily through donations, adoption fees, special events, and municipal stray-holding contracts.

Product overview

Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter operates as a single-facility open admission animal shelter serving the Gallatin and Madison Valleys in Montana. The organization offers an integrated portfolio of animal welfare services organized around its core shelter operations: companion animal adoption, lost and found pet reunification, and community support programs. Core services include the PAW Volunteer Program and Foster Care Program for shelter support, Dog Training Classes (Puppy Socialization, Basic Manners, Private Lessons), SNAP spay/neuter assistance, TNR Program for feral cats, microchipping, and cremation services. Community engagement programs include Youth Education with downloadable lesson plans, Pet Pals Summer Camp, Community Room Rental, Birthday Party Packages, and special events (Tails & Trails, Dog Ball). The shelter also facilitates planned giving and endowment donations through the Best Friends Legacy Society. All services are delivered through the single 19,850 square-foot facility in Bozeman, Montana, with no separate product tiers or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pet Adoption Services
• Lost and Found Pet Services
• Dog Training Classes
• SNAP Spay and Neuter Assistance Program
• TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Program
• Microchipping Services
• Pet Cremation Services
• Food Assistance Program
• Birthday Party Package
• Pet Pals Summer Camp
• Youth Humane Education Programs
• Spot's Community Room Rental
• Annual Special Events (Dog Ball and Tails and Trails)
• PAW Volunteer Program
• Foster Care Program
• Behavior Consultation Services
• Humane Trap Rental
• Planned Giving and Best Friends Forever Endowment
• Montana Specialty License Plates
• Monthly Donor Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% overall save rate for shelter animals
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PetSmartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHOV has available cats at PetSmart locations as an additional adoption channel beyond the main shelter.
• Gallatin CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted as the official stray holding facility for Gallatin County to receive stray and impounded animals.
• City of BozemancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted as the official stray holding facility for the City of Bozeman to receive stray and impounded animals.
• City of BelgradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted as the official stray holding facility for the City of Belgrade to receive stray and impounded animals.
• Town of ManhattancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted as the official stray holding facility for the Town of Manhattan to receive stray and impounded animals.
• 100+ Local Bozeman/Belgrade Businesses (Animal Donation Banks)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with over 100 local businesses including Ace Hardware, Murdoch's, Gallatin Veterinary Hospital, and others to have animal donation banks at their registers for spare change donations. Includes businesses in Bozeman, Belgrade, Ennis, West Yellowstone, and Big Sky.
• Big Sky ResortminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTails & Trails outdoor adventure event hosted at Madison Base Area at Big Sky Resort, combining outdoor activity with fundraising.
• Montana Department of JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOV-sponsored license plates available through county treasurers for Montana vehicle registration, supporting animal shelter operations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare organization operating sanctuary and shelter programs across the U.S. Comparable to HOV in mission and no-kill operating philosophy, but operates at much larger national scale rather than as a regional open-admission shelter.
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): Largest U.S. animal welfare organization providing shelter, advocacy, veterinary, and legislative services. Comparable in mission scope and shelter operations to HOV but with national reach, government affairs, and a much broader program portfolio.
• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): National animal welfare advocacy and direct-care organization. Overlaps with HOV on shelter/rescue operations, animal care standards, and humane education, but functions primarily as an advocacy and policy organization rather than a regional open-admission shelter.

Direct peers

• Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter: Regional open-admission animal shelter serving Yellowstone County in Billings, Montana. The most direct geographic peer to HOV within Montana — comparable size, similar open-admission model, municipal stray-holding contracts, and community-based fundraising approach.
• Humane Society of Western Montana: Regional animal shelter in Missoula, Montana providing adoption, surrender, low-cost spay/neuter, and humane education. Closely comparable to HOV in services offered, scale, and Montana-based community-shelter operating model.
• Animal Humane Society: Multi-site open-admission animal welfare organization in Minnesota providing adoption, veterinary, behavior, and humane education services. Comparable to HOV in integrated service delivery and operating model, though operating at a larger metropolitan scale.

Others

• PetSmart Charities: Animal welfare grantmaking arm of PetSmart that funds adoption, spay/neuter, and disaster response programs nationwide. Relevant to HOV as a peer funder in the animal welfare ecosystem and as the operator of the PetSmart in-store cat adoption channel HOV uses.
• Bissell Pet Foundation: National animal welfare foundation supporting shelter, adoption, and pet-related homelessness programs. Comparable to HOV in focus area (open-admission shelter support and adoption) and as a peer recipient/competitor for community-level fundraising in the regional animal welfare space.
• Maddie's Fund: Family foundation focused on achieving no-kill outcomes across U.S. shelters through grants and programs. Directly relevant to HOV as both a potential grantmaker for its 96% save rate work and as a thought-leader shaping the same open-admission shelter standards HOV follows.

Emerging players

• Spay and Neuter Kansas City (SNKC): Regional nonprofit veterinary clinic focused exclusively on low-cost spay/neuter and preventive care. Highly comparable to HOV's SNAP program and TNR services — same subsidized-vet operating model, though at a more specialized scale without full adoption services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HOVshelter
• Facebookfacebook.com/bozemanhov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heart-of-the-valley-animal-shelter

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heart of the Valley