SAN FRANCISCO SPCA
The San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (The SF/SPCA) was founded in 1868. The SF/SPCA is a national leader in saving lives and raising the status of companion animals. Its innovative programs and services include: Maddie's Pet Adoption Center; Community Veterinary Services, including the SF/SPCA Animal Hospital and Spay/Neuter Clinic; Humane Education; public Dog Training classes; Feral Cat Assistance Program and Animal Assisted Therapy. The SF/SPCA is funded solely by donations, grants, bequests and fees for service. It receives no government funding or tax dollars. The organization has a staff of 165, 10,000 active supporters and a dedicated corps of more than 900 volunteers. Q: Who runs the organization? Jan McHugh-Smith, who was appointed to the position in February 2007, is President of The SF/SPCA. She is the eighth president in the Society's 140 year history and the first woman to hold the position. McHugh-Smith is a nationally-recognized leader in animal welfare, as well as a prominent member of the animal welfare community with 23 years of extensive experience in the field. She began her career at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Colorado. During her 12 years as CEO of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, McHugh-Smith reduced the euthanasia rate of shelter animals in the community from 45 percent to 15 percent, and increased the live-release rate to 86 percent, with 100 percent placement of healthy animals. Q: What is the mission of your organization? The SF/SPCA is a private, independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization dedicated to saving and protecting homeless dogs and cats and providing them with care and treatment, advocating for their welfare and enhancing the human-animal bond. Q: What are the biggest obstacles to still overcome? Getting resources to help people and their animals during these hard economic times is becoming one of our major challenges. We are seeing an increase in demand for charitable veterinary services, which we are determined to provide and the organization is working hard to increase funding from both old and new sources. I'm confident that we will maintain our position as a leader in veterinary services to animals with and without guardians. Q: What are SF/SPCA greatest accomplishments so far? The successful completion of The SF/SPCA's Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center will enable us to increase our life-saving capacity and mission. By expanding our non-profit veterinary hospital, we'll be able to provide additional, subsidized medical care for the pets of Bay Area residents. We'll see a doubling of our spay/neuter capacity, both for animals that have guardians or are homeless. Most importantly, 50 percent of the new Center is dedicated to homeless animal medical rehabilitation and sheltering, so the potential for saving many, many more lives than at present is no longer just a dream. Q: What are your ongoing and current campaigns? Even though the Leanne Roberts Center is now up and running, we still need to raise funds to finish paying for it! We have begun a Capital Campaign and we are confident it will be successful. We have $7.9 million remaining on the $29.9 million campaign. Q: What goals have you set for 2009? Our goal for 2009 is to save as many animals' lives as possible. We will do this by completing 12,000 spay/neuter services; we'll also provide $1.5 million in charitable veterinary care for animals with and without guardians. In addition, we will launch a new Web site in late January that will be a terrific resource for pet guardians. Q: What would you like to tell the readers of The American Dog magazine? "The San Francisco SPCA is a private, non-profit organization, we don't get funding from the national humane groups or government funds. Accomplishing our goals is only possible through the generous donations of individuals who believe in our mission. Without this Q: Is there anything else you would like to say about your organization? In 2008 The SF/SPCA found loving homes for more than 4,000 cats and dogs from San Francisco and beyond. But readers may not be aware of all the other services we offer to strengthen the human/animal bond and keep pets in their homes. Besides the Veterinary Hospital and Spay/Neuter Clinic, we provide a Feral Cat Assistance Program, Humane Education programs for youngsters, Animal Assisted Therapy, Dog Training classes, and the list goes on.
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