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| (L-R) Glen Howe (Contra Costa), Captain Vicky Guldbech (ACC), Ken White (Peninsula Humane Society), Jan McHugh-Smith (The SF/SPCA), Carl Friedman (ACC) Susan Atherton (S.F. Animal Legislation), and Jennifer Fearing (HSUS) attend a press conference at ACC to celebrate the naming of San Francisco as the most humane major metropolitan area in the nation. |
I knew that San Francisco was a special place even before I was appointed to lead The San Francisco SPCA earlier this year, so I wasn’t really surprised when, on April 29, 2007, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) named San Francisco as the most humane city in the nation. But was I bowled over with pride? Absolutely!
The HSUS survey, called the Humane Index, ranked the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States according to 12 categories, including, companion animals, non-acceptance of fur, the number of vegetarian restaurants per capita, wildlife, factory farming, animal advocacy and Congressional leadership on animal issues. San Francisco took the top ranking in three of the categories, and was in the top ten for several others, winning with a combined “low” score of 76, compared with a total of 101 by the runner-up, Seattle
The Humane Index is HSUS’ first attempt to compare how communities across the nation measure up in terms of the treatment of animals. According to the survey the San Francisco metro area (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont) is twice as humane as the average large metropolitan area. West coast cities generally performed better than other areas, with Portland placed third, and San Diego and Los Angeles ranked fifth and sixth respectively.
I think it is unquestionable that the foundation of lifesaving policies put in place by The SF/SPCA during its 139-year history is the major contributing factor in explaining why San Francisco has been honored by HSUS. Animal Welfare organizations all over the country look to The SF/SPCA as a model and innovator for progressive programs.
We need only glance at some of the early achievements of the Society after its founding in 1868 to see how the constructive alliance between the nascent animal welfare movement and the City of San Francisco evolved and advanced – from 1888 when the Board of Supervisors received a petition signed by more than 18,000 citizens demanding that the public pound be placed under SF/SPCA control, to 1905 when The SF/SPCA took responsibility for the city’s lost, abused and unwanted animals, a function that it performed for the next 84 years.
In 1994, an Adoption Pact, between the newly-instituted municipal department of Animal Care & Control and The SF/SPCA was signed. The pact guarantees a home to every healthy, adoptable animal in the city’s shelter system, and with this historic agreement, the City of San Francisco confirmed its continuing commitment to the humane values we are celebrating today.
And so, it was with great pride and pleasure that I joined representatives of HSUS, including Jennifer Fearing who compiled the Humane Index, Assemblyman Mark Leno, and colleagues from other local animal welfare groups – Carl Friedman from the San Francisco Department of Animal Care & Control, Ken White from The Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo, and Glenn Howe from Contra Costa – for a press conference the day after the results of the HSUS survey were announced. There was general agreement that the Bay Area’s preeminence as a compassionate and caring place to live reflects its community of supportive citizens who care deeply about animals.
It seems very appropriate that San Francisco is named for St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment. San Franciscans have long known that they live in a very special city. And if others didn’t know if before, they do now!
Yours truly,
Jan McHugh-Smith
President |
