We’ve received inquiries concerning a recent advertisement in the Los Angeles Times criticizing the Humane Society of the United States. I want to make sure your readers realize that the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society is a local, private, nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States.
The Humane Society of the United States has an annual budget of more than $120 million and operates no animal shelters. Their primary focus is to influence legislation in order to get better legal protection for animals. They also help with disaster response. If you are a member of the HSUS, while you are supporting a good cause, please know that your dollars are not coming here to support the care and adoption of local shelter animals.
The Santa Maria Valley Humane Society has an annual budget of around $500,000, and with that we take in and adopt out hundreds of local animals and perform roughly 2,000 low cost spay/neuter surgeries per year. Our goal continues to be the protection and sheltering of animals in our no-kill facility until they are placed in permanent homes.
We also aim to lower pet overpopulation by educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering their animals. Sadly, two-thirds of all animals euthanized in Santa Barbara County come from the Santa Maria area.
To meet these goals, we are asking local residents for funds to construct a much larger, no-kill shelter and spay/neuter facility on West Stowell Road. We’ve now raised $2.5 million of the $3.9 million needed to complete this much-needed facility.
I want to make it clear that donations to the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society stay within our community and help shelter, medically treat, and find homes for local animals. We are so grateful for every dollar donated and every hour spent volunteering with our animals. For more information, call 349-3435 or go to smvhs.org.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2011.
