Thanks for your interest in The San Francisco SPCA. We welcome the opportunity to share the story of our work with your readers, viewers or listeners.

A shelter environment — even one as nice as our Maddie's Pet Adoption Center — is stressful for dogs and cats. Many of our animals are uneasy or disconcerted by their new surroundings. They are not trained to perform for a camera, and the sight of video and film equipment often frightens them. On behalf of our animals, we ask you to follow these guidelines:

• Call in advance if you want to film or conduct an interview at The SF/SPCA. Contact Kristen Green of Kristen Green Public Relations, 415-567-2999 . Media must be accompanied at all times by an SF/SPCA public relations representative. To provide you with an escort, we need to schedule your visit ahead of time.
  
  
• The dog and cat rooms in Maddie's Center have large glass windows that allow for filming our animals in action. Please do not enter the rooms.
  
  
• Let us know in advance if you have a special request: if you want to film inside a dog or cat room, or you want to film an animal in a setting outside its room, for example. We will do our best to find a suitable dog or cat, but there may be times when we don't have an animal appropriate for your needs.
  
  
• Please limit photo sessions with individual dogs and cats to 10 minutes. (If an animal is stressed, you will have to end the session sooner; on the other hand, some animals can tolerate slightly longer sessions, if they get a break. Please comply with SF/SPCA staff requests regarding the length of your photo session.)