When the world outside is full of uncertainty, we take great comfort knowing so many pets like Roxy(pictured left and above) are finding the families they've been waiting for. These sweet bubbles of unconditional love give us hope and are too beautiful not to share. We hope this week's stories lift your heart too!

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

Current circumstances have given us all a chance to pause and reflect on what’s most important in our lives. At HSSC, not a day goes by when we are not profoundly grateful for our volunteers. Their compassionate dedication for the animals is crucial to our mission.

Just how crucial? Last year HSSC volunteers contributed over 51,000 hours of service! That’s 140 hours a day of walking dogs, visiting cats, scooping litterboxes, prepping pet food, washing dishes and water bowls, doing laundry, mopping floors, spreading the word at community outreach events, answering phones, greeting shelter guests, providing admin support, fostering pets – in short, showing up for the animals when they need it most.

So, to our truly amazing volunteers we say THANK YOU! We love you and we couldn’t do it without you. We look forward to the time when Shelter in Place orders are lifted and we can all be together again!

Calvin, a gorgeous husky mix, came to us from one of our rescue partners. Several weeks after his arrival, pieces of rope toy and a small pebble were found in his stool. Our veterinary team alerted our staff and volunteers that he was prone to trying to eat non-food items and that we'd need to restrict his access to such objects.

We started monitoring him more closely and it was discovered that he was very sly at picking up and swallowing small rocks while acting like he was just sniffing the ground. While sometimes non-food items can pass through a dog's digestive tract without much issue, there's always the possibility they can get lodged somewhere and cause an obstruction - resulting in a medical emergency and requiring surgery. 

Radiographs revealed that Calvin had three rocks in his stomach, so our veterinary team proceeded with surgery to remove them. He is recovering well and we're now training him to wear a basket muzzle while out on walks to keep him safe. His future adopter will need to keep a close eye on him so that he doesn't eat anything he shouldn't!

While we navigate the ever-changing guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Community Veterinary Clinic remains a safety net for members of our community needing affordable care for their pets. While the CVC is working limited hours to protect staff and clients and comply with our local shelter-in-place ordinance, we remain available to help animals in need of urgent or critical care.

Buddy was a referral from a local veterinarian. He had severe dental disease and had stopped eating. He was pawing at his mouth and whimpering. His owner works for an essential business, but his hours had been cut due to shelter-in-place. He could not afford the cost of a dental procedure at their family vet. His family was sadly considering euthanasia because they did not want to see Buddy in pain.

Luckily, their veterinarian contacted our CVC to see if we could help! We were able to get Buddy in to assess and treat his dental disease, as well as prescribe treatment for glaucoma in his eye. We were able to subsidize much of Buddy's treatment thanks to generous donor support!

#GivingTuesdayNow is May 5 – your gift will go twice as far thanks to special challenge grant!

The COVID-19 crisis is impacting us all in so many ways. Here at HSSC, the cancellation of important Spring fundraising and outreach events means that our resources are stretched to the limit. Thankfully, one of our beloved donors has stepped up with a $15,000 challenge grant to coincide with #GivingTuesdayNow - an online global day of giving and unity, is taking place on May 5, 2020 as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

We hope that you’ll join us and our generous benefactors for this special online event. Your gift will go twice as far to provide ongoing shelter, food and medical care for animals in need – helping us to ensure that homeless animals have uninterrupted care during the coronavirus emergency.

Please stay tuned for more information!

Furry Friends Summer Day Camp

We at HSSC would like to let you know that we are reducing the number of registrations for campers to minimize any risks surrounding Covid-19. Our aim in doing this is to provide peace of mind to parents while continuing to provide a fun and enriching experience to campers. We have also eliminated all off-site field trips to minimize exposure and keep our campers safe.

Registration is still open for our summer camps! For more information and to register, please visit: https://humanesocietysoco.org/youth-programs/humane-education/

There are so many ways to help the animals. ❤️

We receive lots of questions about estate planning - including HSSC in your will or trust is a wonderful way to ensure our lifesaving work continues into the future.

To learn more about this planned giving option, please visit https://humanesocietysoco.org/give/ and click on the Leave a Legacy tab. Or contact Priscilla Locke, HSSC Director of Development & Marketing, at (707) 577-1911 or by email at plocke@humanesocietysoco.org.