TIMES CHANGE BUT THE MISSION REMAINS THE SAME

On April 18, 2008, The San Francisco SPCA will celebrate its 140th year of service to the animals and community of San Francisco. In 1868 the Society’s opened its first headquarters in a rented office, staffed by one volunteer secretary, on Merchant Street, close to the docks and markets.  In 1891 the expanding organization relocated to 1170 Market Street, at Taylor.  However, in 1906, the SF/SPCA moved its headquarters to some land it had bought in 1890, out on “the edge of town.” That site, on 16th Street, has remained our home for the last 102 years. The building and the neighborhood may have changed, but the Society’s mission to save and protect animals has not.

In 2007, The SF/SPCA embarked on a new chapter in its history.  The Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center, on track to open in February 2009, will greatly expand the lifesaving services that the organization is able to offer. The new Center and the adjacent Maddie’s Adoption Center will then form an organic, dynamic whole, which will advance The SF/SPCA’s fundamental approach to animal welfare.

The SF/SPCA has always looked at the whole picture: it is not possible to prevent cruelty to animals by punitive measures alone – attitudes towards all living creatures need to be changed through example and education; the numbers of homeless dogs and cats cannot be reduced just by adoption – the spaying and neutering of all companion animals is the key. Moreover, a number of the current issues affecting dogs and cats, in San Francisco and elsewhere, could be resolved by basic, responsible pet guardianship.

Being a responsible pet guardian means following some essential procedures that help to make dogs and cats welcome throughout the community. For instance:

• Guardians should always pick up their pets’ waste.  Dog poop in public spaces is one of the leading complaints about dogs from the community.
• Dogs should always be kept on leash in public except in legal Off-Leash areas. Unruly dog behavior, even by friendly dogs, and especially around children, is a major complaint about dogs in public. Enroll your dog in a basic obedience class, which will go a long way to dealing with this problem. The SF/SPCA offers training classes for all ages of dogs, and there are many other reputable trainers in the Bay Area.
• All pets should be spayed or neutered. This is the most important way to reduce the number of unwanted companion animals, and it also has health and behavioral benefits for pets. 
• Dogs should be licensed, and cats and dogs microchipped, which is the most effective way to recover a missing pet.  And The SF/SPCA urges people to keep their cats indoors – they’ll live longer!
• Pets should receive proper veterinary care. The SF/SPCA Community Veterinary Hospital recommends a yearly wellness check-up for dogs and cats; guardians should follow their veterinarian’s guidance about vaccination schedules for rabies and other deadly diseases.
• Animals should never be abandoned! If a pet can’t be kept, for whatever reason, he or she should be surrendered to a shelter so that a new home can be found for the animal. Abandoned or stray cats, if they survive, can quickly become feral, adding to an already enormous problem. The SF/SPCA works to remedy this challenge in the community by operating an effective Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) program; the feral cats are trapped, brought to The SF/SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic where they are sterilized, then returned to their colonies under the monitoring of volunteer caregivers. By also removing kittens (which are then socialized and put up for adoption at Maddie’s Adoption Center) from the group, colonies have been shown to diminish in size through natural attrition.

All these measures will ensure that our pets are healthier, better-behaved and more acceptable in the community at large. It’s also clear that adherence to these principles of responsible pet guardianship will save society millions of tax dollars each year.

As The SF/SPCA looks ahead in 2008 there are a number of other issues to which it has leant its support: SB685, the Pet Trust Bill, if passed by the California Legislature, will make pet trusts valid and enforceable, and bring California into line with the majority of states; a prospective California ballot initiative for November 2008, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), will outlaw the use of the cruel confinement of breeding pigs in gestation crates, egg-laying hens in battery cages, and veal calves in tiny crates. 

At the same time, The SF/SPCA continues to offers its crucial services to the community. Every year:

• Our public hospital sees over 20,000 clients.
• Our Spay/Neuter Clinic alters an average of 7,000 dogs and cats.
• We find new homes for approximately 3,500 companion animals.
• Our Animal Assisted Therapy Program brings the joy of animals to over 25,000 people in nearly 75 facilities.
• An average of 2,500 youngsters are reached by our Humane Education Program.
• We graduate an average of 40 skilled dog trainers from our Academy for Dog Trainers.
• We pair an average of 18 trained service dogs with deaf and hard-of-hearing clients in our Hearing Dog Program.

In 2008, in honor of our 140th birthday, The SF/SPCA plans to exceed the successes of the past, and to save even more animals’ lives. We are supported in our endeavors by the generosity of people who value our work. If you are one of those folk, we thank you most sincerely. If you would like to become a supporter please contact Katy Volz at 415-554-3027, or to volunteer contact Norma Wood at 415-522-3543.

For the animals,

Yours very truly

Jan McHugh-Smith
President