Summer means more sunshine, more time outdoors and more fun for both you and your pets. For me, summer means trekking from Point Loma to the Dairy Queen in Tierrasanta so my German shepherd, Jake, and pit bull, Betty, can share a vanilla ice cream. They have to skip the chocolate shell but they’re fixated nonetheless!
For us at San Diego Humane Society, this summer is especially meaningful because on July 1, we began providing animal services to six more cities—Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, San Diego, Santee and Solana Beach. When the county announced it wasn’t going to renew its animal services contracts with these cities, we took up the challenge. We sprang into action and worked for well over a year preparing to take responsibility for some 20,000 additional animals annually, and I couldn’t be more confident in our ability to bring the top-notch care and compassion we’ve been known for since 1880 to more animals—and people—throughout our county. We’ve got this!
We’re expanding our adoption services, humane law enforcement and specialty programs like the Kitten Nursery, Behavior Center, PAWS San Diego and community outreach. We’re also doubling the number of employees serving these six communities and mobilizing our 5,400-strong volunteer network. For pet owners, having a single animal services provider instead of several means the convenience of finding everything under the umbrella of SDHS, as well as expanded service hours and access to our services seven days a week. Rest assured, we also remain forever committed to our promise of zero euthanasia for healthy and treatable pets. We can now truly be a safety net for animals and their owners in six more cities.
Also, look for more free microchip clinics this summer. We’re working to ensure every companion animal in San Diego County is microchipped by 2019. Microchips help reunite lost pets with their owners, so more families can enjoy summer (and ice cream minus the chocolate shell) with their pets.
Gary Weitzman, DVM, MPH, CAWA
President and CEO
San Diego Humane Society