A surge in community awareness and outreach has led to a massive milestone for the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, which recently saw its 10,000th adoption since the creation of its “no-kill” program.
The staff, which rings a bell upon every successful adoption, will be celebrating this feat with a luncheon to “thank them for all of their hard work,” Executive Director Jill Tucker said.
The fortunate canine is a loving, courageous terrier mix named Lulu, who was adopted on June 19.
“Lulu’s adoption is a perfect example of how all the pieces of the adoption process come together,” Tucker said. “Our friends at the Santa Barbara County Animal Services were able to bring her to our facility where she was held until her holding period was up. She was then spayed, neutered, administered a health check, and microchipped.”
Her profile was then promoted through various media, including the society’s Facebook page, which, according to Tucker, “drives so many of our adoptions.” The page now has nearly 4,000 “likes,” and has helped increase the number of adoptions by 24 percent from the last fiscal year.
Lulu was adopted as a direct result of Facebook’s rapid sharing of photos and information for animals needing a home. Her new owner saw a photo and a description of her and adopted her soon after.
The society is also opening a new facility on West Stowell Road soon to accommodate a larger population of stray animals.
“We are finalizing permits for construction of the location, and we estimate the facility will be ready for use within eight to 10 weeks, we hope,” Tucker said.
“The new location is going to allow us to triple the number of adoptable cats we can care for, which has a huge potential to make a difference in the community,” she added.
Along with Altrusa International Inc., which generously donated $25,000 for the new building on West Stowell Road, the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society is holding a dog show and dinner event called “Hoe Down for the Hounds” on July 20 at 5:45 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building in Santa Maria. Tickets cost $45 each. Families can dine on a wide selection of foods and enter their pet as a dog show contestant.
For more information or to place a reservation, visit smvhs.org/hoe-down-donation.
Intern Brian Wright compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 11-18, 2013.