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• This is categorically false. In fact, we adhere to the Adoption Pact by taking "available" cats and dogs offered to us every day. It is important to understand that the Pact stipulates that The SF/SPCA is only obligated to take "Available" aka adoptable animals that the ACC offers to us. We go beyond the Adoption Pact as resources allow by taking cats and dogs designated as "medical" and "behavior" cases.  We send our team of dog and cat trainers to ACC to see if we can find  animals to bring back to our shelter.  Of these animals, we select the dogs and cats  we have the resources for. The rescue groups serve as the final safety net for remaining dogs whose behavior/ health are not conducive to living in a shelter environment and don't pass our behavior evaluation. It's our goal to place animals that are behaviorally sound and healthy.
• The numbers: In calendar year 2008, we accepted 160 dogs from ACC and over 2,000 cats. Without our shelter medicine and adoption program, the Live Release Rate in SF would be significantly lower. Through efforts by The SF/SPCA, SF ACC and rescue groups, we have made San Francisco one of the safest communities for homeless animals in the U.S.

• The SF/SPCA provides a range of programs and services that are at no- or low-cost to the San Francisco Community. Our Veterinary Hospital provides financial assistance and payment arrangements to individuals who qualify.
• We are the only animal shelter in SF that offers subsidized spay/neuter for pet guardians who qualify and free sterilization to feral cats trapped in SF.
• The SF/SPCA performed 6,694 surgeries at the spay/neuter clinic in FY 08/09. Of the 2,041 public surgeries provided through the clinic 82% of these surgeries were discounted at some level. 51% of these public surgeries (1,020) were provided to the general public for free. 23% of the public surgeries (469 surgeries) were given a discount of 20-80%.
• Our Adoption Center and Shelter Medicine Program offer adoption fees that are much less than our costs to provide medical care and housing to our homeless animals.
• Our focus on education and outreach is through our Humane Education program, which is designed for youth to enhance compassion, demonstrate respect and focus on responsible pet guardianship.  We promote advocacy on behalf of animals by providing youth with the understanding that they can use their compassion to protect and help animals in our community.
• We provide dog training programs, cat claw clipping clinics, behavior information, and private training programs which use positive-reinforcement techniques.  
• Our Animal-Assisted Therapy programs demonstrate the important role that animals play in motivating, communicating and healing by bringing the love of companion animals to people in facilities located in San Francisco.

• While some local rescue groups oppose our decision to bring in animals from other shelters, we are passionately committed to saving lives within the borders of San Francisco and beyond.
• In fact, in 2008, we increased the community's Live Release Rate an additional 2% to 87% from the previous year while adopting out more animals.
• Each animal shelter and rescue group has philosophical differences about how best to use its resources. We're fortunate to work and live in an area where there is a large number of people who are willing and able to adopt more animals than we have in our county.
• On occasion, The SF/SPCA and SF ACC will work with other organizations to assist or rescue animals from out-of-county that come to us from hoarding and cruelty cases to help out other agencies and communities.
• Each animal that is euthanized is heart-breaking, so we are all doing more for our community’s animals and those in our network than ever before.
• We receive letters of thanks from places, like Madera County, who are grateful for the transfer program that the SF/SPCA has in place.
• Madera County Animal Services receives over 9,000 animals annually. A mere 17 employees in a 9500 sq ft building work to adopt 2,000 animals, but are forced to euthanize 5,000 dogs and cats a year. Madera reports, "By rescuing our animals The SF/SPCA allows us the time and opportunity to educate our community on the importance of spaying and neutering, to improve our own adoption efforts and to more humanely care for those animals in our care."
• The Calaveras County Animal Shelter reports that 500 cats and 156 dogs were euthanized last year and on two occasions, they were forced to euthanize their entire cat population due to a disease outbreak related to overcrowding. A video expressing their gratitude is posted on our website.
• Lake County Animal Control reports: "One of our goals in 2008 was to reduce our euthanasia rate by 20% or more; The SF/SPCA played a major role in attaining that goal."
• Mendocino County says: "We don't want to euthanize any adoptable animals. When The SF/SPCA is able to take our animals we don't have to euthanize for space."
• Many of the shelters we transfer from have low cost spay/neuter programs or voucher systems to help reduce over population. It gives them an opportunity to solve their community's animal issues.
• Our transfer program is not simply a band-aid for these counties, but a way for them to increase their adoptions, put more resources into the animals at their shelter that need treatment, and improve their community programs.
• Our transfer program saves medically and behaviorally sound dogs from being euthanized simply due to space and time. It also helps San Francisco animals as well. Having a continual selection of friendly, healthy animals in our adoption center ensures that the public will come to us when seeking a new pet. While at the SF/SPCA, they very well may fall in love with the shy cat we took from Animal Control. Or perhaps they won’t be able to resist the geriatric stray dog that came into Animal Control as a stray and was then transferred into our care. There truly is an animal companion for every family at our Shelter.

Rescue groups have an important role to play in saving animals in our community and their efforts are focused on a smaller group of dogs. Rescue groups can place dogs whose behavior necessitates they be managed over time and in a non-shelter environment.

We are committed to working with our partners, including San Francisco ACC and local rescue groups. We also recognize that The SF/SPCA has a responsibility to ensure the safety of our community. In addition to providing discounted services for local rescue groups, The SF/SPCA also accommodates dogs for 24 hours on behalf of local rescue groups who have made arrangements with out-of-county shelters.