As the leaves change and the air gets crisp, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to everyone who has helped us #ShareTheCare in so many ways this year.

To those of you who have adopted (or are planning to adopt in the future), we are thrilled for you! Nothing compares to that unconditional love you've brought into your life...and we are doubly grateful for the shelter space that adoption frees up. If you have volunteered your time or fostered an animal, we give a hearty "Thanks!" for enriching the lives of pets and people in our community. To the social media rock stars helping share adoptable pets or opportunities, we're so happy to have you at our side, saving lives! If you've taken steps to help a lost pet get home, or safeguarded your own pets by making sure they're tagged and microchipped, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping keep those pets out of shelters! And of course, to everyone who has graciously given a monetary or supply donation, our deepest thanks for your compassionate support. Protecting and providing for homeless cats and dogs in our community requires a joint effort; only by working together can we save more lives!

Everyone had a fantastic time at our 8th annual Tails at Twilight gala! We were fortunate to have such a fun group of supporters, sponsors and their guests, all looking fandiscotastic. View photos from the event here.

The generosity of the evening's sponsors and participants contributed to the event's fundraising goal, which supports Valley Humane Society's lifesaving and life-enriching programs and services. We are truly grateful.

Couldn't make it this year? Keep your eye out for next year's event, schedule for a September time frame - tickets tend to sell out quickly, so you'll want to be ready to pounce!

You'll thank yourself next month for getting a jump start on your year end giving. Making Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and donating appreciated stocks/securities are two smart ways to give to Valley Humane Society that help both you and the animals in our care.

Contact Will Anzenberger at wanzenberger@valleyhumane.org to learn how to make an impact with these tax-savvy gifts. Click here to download our instruction sheet for donating appreciated stocks. And for those of you that have a donor-advised fund, please consider making a pledge to our Giving Tuesday match, which is November 29.