Ceilidh

Michael Zey
futurist3000@aol.com

  The president of Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) says the opening of San Jose's new Animal Care Center is great news for the community because it increases resources and shelter space for animals, which will help reduce the need for unnecessary pet euthanasia in Santa Clara County. The Humane Society Silicon Valley can now focus all of its resources on its core mission of finding loving homes for more pets.

  Humane Society Silicon Valley President Christine Benninger says the new San Jose Animal Care Center, which will have the capacity to house approximately 20,000 animals yearly, essentially doubles the amount of holding space for stray and owner surrendered animals in Santa Clara County.

  "Too many animals are euthanized in shelters throughout the Bay Area because there is no room in a particular shelter, they are sick, need prolonged therapy or have a behavioral problem that renders them unadoptable," Benninger explained. "We want to work with the city of San Jose to change that, and we welcome them as our newest partner in animal welfare."

  With the addition of the San Jose Animal Care Center, Humane Society Silicon Valley expects to house about 10,000 animals a year, a far more manageable number than the 29,000 it housed last year when it provided shelter services for San Jose and several other South Bay cities. Benninger says the reduction in stray animals will allow the Humane Society to focus on its core mission: enhancing the human-animal bond through a comprehensive program of adoptions, spaying/neutering and education.

  Benninger says Humane Society Silicon Valley looks forward to partnering with San Jose Animal Care and Services, rescue groups and other shelters to help get more animals adopted. "We will be reaching out to these groups to bring animals to our shelter that may need extra care and attention or just a second chance at getting adopted," Benninger explained.

  "Essentially that's what it's all about -- finding more loving homes for pets," Benninger said.

  The transition with the city of San Jose has been in the works since 1998 when the Humane Society Silicon Valley board of directors voted to phase out its contracts with the city of San Jose to house its stray animals.

  "Our board and management team had long felt the mission of Humane Society Silicon Valley and the mission of Animal Control were at odds," Benninger explained. "Animal Control's mission is to protect people from animals; the Humane Society's mission is to protect animals from people. The high volume of unadoptable animals at our shelter didn't allow us the time or resources to focus on animals that could be deemed adoptable if they had some socialization or time to recover from a health ailment. Now we can reach out to the community to help more animals find loving homes," Benninger explained.

  While Humane Society Silicon Valley will no longer house stray animals from San Jose, Milpitas, Cupertino, Los Gatos and Saratoga, it will continue to house stray animals for the cities of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Monte Sereno and Campbell. HSSV will also continue to take owner-surrendered animals.  

  About Humane Society Silicon Valley  

  This year, Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) celebrates 75 years of strengthening the human-animal bond. Established in 1929, HSSV has grown into one of the largest animal shelters on the West Coast, caring for nearly 29,000 animals last year. Since its inception, HSSV has adopted over 500,000 animals into permanent, loving homes! The agency has an "open door" shelter policy and accepts animals 24-hours a day, seven days a week. HSSV's mission is to strengthen the human-animal bond. To fulfill this mission, HSSV has a comprehensive program of adoptions, animal care and services, education, and an affordable medical center for spaying, neutering, vaccinations and microchips. For more information please visit our website at www.hssv.org or call 408-727-3383.

CONTACT:Humane Society Silicon Valley Laura Fulda, 408-727-3383 ext. 854 or 408-202-6174 laura.fulda@hssv.org

SOURCE: Humane Society Silicon Valley

09/20/2004 08:02 EASTERN