Friendly Beasts, Day 10: Humane Society Silicon Valley

www.hssv.org

And now for a completely biased introduction:

Established 80 years ago to help both pets and people in the community, Humane Society Silicon Valley is the place where I adopted my own sweet kittygirl in 1997.  Still happy and mostly healthy (for a 15-ish year old cat), she is my constant reminder of why I love HSSV.

But it's not just me!

In 2009, HSSV helped revolutionize the concept of the animal shelter when it opened the Animal Community Center in Milpitas, CA.  It was the first environmentally "green" certified animal facility in the country to offer an adoption program as well as a full spectrum of other services: spay/neuter services, vaccinations, grooming services, a dog park whose membership includes behavior screenings, microchipping, summer camps and children's party packages, school and scout tours, volunteer donation parties, and two satellite sites housed within local Petco stores through which many of the cats and smaller pets (rabbits, mice, etc.) find permanent homes.

Because it operates as an independent nonprofit organization, HSSV relies on the passion and compassion of its army of volunteers.  At over 700 and counting, those that want to help pitch in with everything ranging from answering phones to scooping litter to providing potential adopters a chance to meet the future love of their life if a staff member is already busy helping someone else.

The change in scenery and design has lead to a more relaxed environment for both the animal and the visitor.  As an example, you can see from the photo collage above (courtesy of Malcolm Bramwell, one of HSSV's volunteers) that the cat hall has become a place where the cats can display themselves being themselves, opening up understanding for those viewing them what it might be like to take the animal home.  And the animals at HSSV are never "timed out" of adoptable status; as long as they are healthy and temperamentally safe to have in a home, the animal stays until their perfect match is made.

As one woman commented to me recently, "I never would have gotten a pet from a shelter before...I couldn't stand the idea of picking one and then having to leave the rest of them behind.  But here!  This is so different...I love coming here, even just to pass through to say hello.  They don't look sad here."

Humane Society Silicon Valley relies on donations and grants to keep running.  To help, please visit their Web site at the link provided above, or visit them on Facebook (search for Humane Society Silicon Valley in the non-profit organizations category).  Locals can visit their Animal Community Center in Milpitas, CA, or their satellite sites in Saratoga, or Sunnyvale.  Find them on Twitter, too!  (@hssv)