Looking forward – with kindness, innovation, and leadership
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We hope your 2024 is off to a wonderful start! At HSSC, we are celebrating this fresh new year by unrolling our new mission statement - one that aligns with the broader scope of lifesaving work we’ve been doing over the past several years and best reflects our growth as a vital community resource for pets and their people!
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We are extremely excited to present HSSC’s new Vision:
The Humane Society of Sonoma County envisions a world where every animal is safe and loved.
Our new Mission:
The mission of the Humane Society of Sonoma County is to save lives and benefit the wellbeing of pets and their people with kindness, innovation, and leadership.
And, as a constant reminder of the belief that lives at the heart of all we do,
Our new tag:
Committed To Kindness
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A Special Message from our Executive Director,
Lindsay McCall!
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It’s simple, really. We want to save more animals!
We can only truly address animal homelessness if we are preventing it in the first place by supporting pet guardians who are struggling to meet their pets’ needs due to financial hardship, personal crisis, or other challenges.
In recent years, we’ve expanded our focus to include support for owned as well as homeless animals, with programs such as our Community Veterinary Clinic, which provides sliding scale urgent care for low- to no-income pet guardians. Along with Spay/Neuter services, keeping pets with the people who love them is the very best way to significantly reduce the homeless animal population and improve the overall health of our community. By keeping pets with their people, we are nurturing and preserving the human/animal bond. And, in doing so, we can continue to have the capacity to rescue and rehabilitate the animals who need us on the journey to adoption.
A critical factor in saving more animals is accessibility, so that, too, continues to be a priority as we move into 2024. We continue to add bilingual staff and provide translation of key public information, including multi-lingual translation of our website. We also continue to assess and update all our communications for accessibility to all who seek information, resources and support. And we are committed to bringing more and more of our services to the animals and people who need them through continued expansion of our Community Action Team (C.A.T), which you’ll read more about in this issue!
In the coming year, we will also continue to work to reflect the diversity and complexity of our community in our staff, Board, and volunteers through persistent expansion and diversification of our search and recruiting resources.
Leading with Kindness and Innovation
Within the next three to five years, we aim to establish ourselves as a regional hub of services, support, and information for pet guardians and for our peers in the animal welfare arena. The focus of the global animal welfare community is gradually shifting from rescue to prevention by creating ready access to proactive care and supportive resources for pets and their guardians, with the underlying belief that when owned animals are well-supported the rate of animal homelessness declines significantly
A key part of this strategic plan is to expand the reach and capacity of our Community Veterinary and Spay/Neuter Clinics, including mobilizing those services to the greatest extent possible. We’ll also continue to grow our C.A.T. program’s network of partnerships with human service organizations throughout Northern California, so pet guardians in need are reached as efficiently and effectively as possible. At our Healdsburg campus, we’ll expand our medical and other support service capabilities so that shelter can serve as a resource hub for underserved communities in the North County.
Thank You!
On behalf of the animals, we are immensely grateful for your continued support. Our shared love for them is what sustains us and moves us… into a healthier, more inclusive, more compassionate future!
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HSSC’s C.A.T. Program... Compassion in Action | |
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Our Community Action Team (C.A.T.) plays a key role in our safety net efforts by ensuring that pet guardians can feed their pets in times of financial hardship or personal crisis. In addition to operating pet food pantries at our Santa Rosa and Healdsburg campuses, they’ve been expanding and mobilizing our efforts to reach the need wherever it exists in our community. Over the past 15 months, the team – comprised of bilingual staffers with backgrounds in human food bank logistics and strategy – has been organizing, growing and sustaining a robust food and supply distribution program.
They have established partnerships with more than 20 local human service distribution partners and distribution sites throughout the county, including Redwood Gospel Mission, The Living Room, Healdsburg Corazon, Veterans Village in Windsor, and the Salvation Army’s Russian River food pantry.
Just how great is the need in our community? Here are C.A.T.’s monthly distribution averages from September 2022 to September 2023:
- 6,917 meals per month from the Santa Rosa shelter
- 2,145 meals per month from the Healdsburg shelter
- 3,688 meals per month from the mobile pantry
- 769 meals per month through partner organizations
- In addition to food and supplies like beds, leashes, dishes, and toys, they provide pet parents with vaccines, flea/tick treatments, microchipping, and other means of supporting their animals’ wellbeing and avoiding surrender to the shelter due to lack of funds for care.
Learn more about this vital community resource and get involved here: https://humanesocietysoco.org/owner-support/pet-food-pantry/
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Join us for Supper Bowl 2024 and help feed the need! | | |
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We typically see a drop in pet food donations after the holidays,
so in celebration of this year’s Super Bowl on February 11
and in honor of our Home team....
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We’re calling out for donations of food and funds for our Pet Food Pantry! | |
🏈 490 Pounds of Food (kibble or canned) for the Pantry
🏈 $4900 to purchase more food and supplies for pets in need
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Drop off donations of food and supplies
at either of our shelters,
and click right below⬇️ to donate funds!
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🌟 It’s a total touchdown for the animals🌟
and YOU are our MVPs!!!
❤️Thank you!!❤️
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A record-breaking year of adoptions in Healdsburg!
Suri and Eva were adopted from our Healdsburg campus at the tail-end of 2023. This pretty bonded pair of cats wrapped up a record-breaking year of adoptions for our Healdsburg shelter!!! Our hardworking Healdsburg crew not only facilitated 366 adoptions last year (a whopping 48 over the previous year!), but they also perform animal control duties for the community and hold VERY BUSY weekly vaccine clinics. Oh, and they provide endless amounts of love and highly skilled care for each animal at our Healdsburg shelter.
What makes our tiny-but-mighty 3-person Healdsburg team such a force? “I attribute this to their motivation and drive to keep the shelter full, make great matches, and get animals into loving homes quickly,” says Karrie Stewart, RVT, Senior Manager of our Santa Rosa Adoptions and Healdsburg Campus.
Thank you, Jazmine, Addie, and RVT Kylee for all your hard work and dedication to the animals!
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Senior dog Smushie loves our Healdsburg team as much as we do, but after one year at the shelter, he’s longing to find his forever home.
Interested in giving this sweet fellow a loving home where he can enjoy his golden years?
Let him capture your heart...just click here and here!❤️
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HSSC Alumni and CVC Client! | |
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We ❤ Petco Love and YOU a “Waffle” Lot!
Ajax (now Waffle) came to us from a crowded Central Valley shelter last summer when he needed medical care that was beyond their capacity. Even though he was suffering from a severe leg injury that would ultimately require amputation, he was full of happy wiggles and marshmallow-soft personality.
In addition to his surgery, we treated him for an ear infection and skin allergies. Through it all, his happy-go-lucky demeanor never wavered. After successfully healing and rehabilitating, it didn’t take long for him to get scooped up by an amazing family!
We were happy to see Waffle’s sweet face again recently as a patient at our Community Veterinary Clinic. His family was referred to us by their regular vet when he developed bladder stones and they could not afford the specialized surgery. We’re pleased to report that his procedure was a success! He’s feeling much better and is back to bringing snuggles and smiles to his adoring family.(This is a perfect example of the proactive safety-net care we described in our feature article, above!)
It takes all of us working together to provide this circle of care for the animals. We are honored to have Petco Love as a partner in our lifesaving work! Their grant has helped us provide medical care for the animals who need us, whether they are patients at our Shelter Hospital or at our Community Veterinary Clinic. We are so grateful for their support!
Donations made at Petco stores during checkout make this grant possible. Thank you Petco Love and thank you for helping us be here for the animals when they need us!
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Our Angels Fund supports the CVC’s lifesaving work and your gifts make happy tales like Waffles’ possible! |
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Our Canine Behavior and Training team promotes a positive reinforcement philosophy, which essentially rewards desirable behaviors and ignores not-so-desirable ones. This method not only makes the learning process fun and error-free, it’s a powerful, evidence-based tool that helps us understand each dog’s unique communication style.
Looking for a place to start? Check out It’s Elementary! In this 4-week class, you’ll learn to relax and connect with your dog. When people are relaxed, dogs are relaxed, so laugh and enjoy your dog’s company as you practice your connected leash walking, recall, sit, down, and much more.
This class is available at both our Santa Rosa and Healdsburg locations.
Learn all about this and other classes, view schedules, and register here: https://humanesocietysoco.org/dog-training/school-of-pawsitive-rewards/
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Summer is right around the corner and HSSC is getting ready to bring back another year of our pawsome award winning summer camps!
This year we are offering Animal Adventure Camps and Week At The Farm Camps.
Summer Camp tickets go on sale on 3/15/24.
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Have the time of your animal-loving life by getting to cuddle, pet, train, and love on cats, dogs, bunnies, and farm animals while learning from animal care professionals about different careers in animal care!
You will also get to play games, make pet toys and make new friends!
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Get ready for a barnyard blast
at Forget Me Not Farm!
Join the green team in the garden to plant, harvest, cook, and enjoy fresh food!
Enjoy an interactive farm experience with over 25 animals, you get to feed, groom, walk, and pet!
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For the first time ever, were unleashing a fur-tastic opportunity for qualifying families! We've got some pawsome scholarships to help offset the cost of our youth programs.
Learn more about the eligibility criteria and application process on our website.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE DUE 2/29/24
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Our Kissing Booth pups’ calendar is filling up fast! Smooch, sip, and celebrate your love for the animals at the following fun events! | | |
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Mutt Lynch’s February 9, 2024, Yappy Hour shines a light on all the important work being done by the HSSC. 100% of the $10 door fee goes directly to the Humane Society of Sonoma County and includes a glass of one of Brenda’s beautifully crafted, select wines. Yappy Hours are always a great way to meet and greet with other people of the wine and dog-loving persuasion. So please join us!
BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW
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Join us at the Hawley Tasting Room and Art Gallery on Saturday, February 10th for a day of new-release wines and adorable canines! Come take a photo in our barrel stave frame with your four-legged friend and visit the Humane Society of Sonoma County’s Kissing Booth!
Enjoy tasting wines from the Early Spring club release and pick up your allotments in downtown Healdsburg. While you are there grab a sweet treat to go along with your wines and to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Members and guests are welcome! Proceeds of this event will go to benefit the Humane Society of Sonoma County!
Email taste@hawleywine.com to RSVP!
Please let us know how many people are in your group!
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Are you ready for a Valentine’s weekend filled with love, laughter, and adorable furry friends? Cornerstone Sonoma invites you to an event that combines the best of both worlds – “For the Love of Dogs and Wine!” They've teamed up with Folktable Restaurant and Obsidian Wine Co. to create a memorable experience for dog lovers and wine enthusiasts like you. Don’t miss out on this paw-sitively delightful event!
Date: February 17, 2024
Time: 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
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