Santa Cruz SPCA and Humane Society

Fostering an animal (or a few!) can be one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. Not only do you get to relish in the love and joy they bring to your home but you’re also able to play a large role in the enrichment of their lives. Allowing a shelter animal temporary reprieve in your home gives them relief from shelter life while also helping them to become more adoptable. During their time in your home we are able to learn more about certain behaviors or attributes they may have, thus allowing us a better shot at finding them the most suitable forever home. Fostering also enables us to rescue more animals that would otherwise be euthanized.

For a full list of our foster options: http://spcasc.org/programs-resources/foster-care/

The Santa Cruz SPCA has a continuous goal to ensure the best possible quality of life for animals and to promote respect and reverence for all. One of the main tools we use to do this is our Humane Education Programs that teach lessons of kindness, responsibility, and respect for animals and people alike.

The kids of today are the companion animal guardians of tomorrow and in order to effectively curb issues like animal abuse, neglect, and over-population in the future we have created fun-filled programs to help the youth understand how to make positive choices for their community now and for the rest of their lives.

From adult informational seminars and classroom presentations to shelter tours and summer camp, the Santa Cruz SPCA’s Humane Education program strives to make animal-care knowledge available to anyone and everyone.

The Santa Cruz SPCA also runs a highly popular summer camp for kids, as well as programs for girl scouts and bringing animals to visit nursing homes and care facilities.

http://spcasc.org/humane-education/

The Santa Cruz SPCA regularly distributes over 7,000 pounds of pet food each month to economically challenged and senior dog and cat owners. This special program is helping many families cope with enormously difficult times. Ensuring that our community’s companion animals never go hungry is one of the most basic and most critical aspects of animal welfare.

Heather’s Pet Food Bank was started and named in memory of Heather Zir, a Santa Cruz Resident and lifelong animal lover, and has been kept afloat by generous donations from loving Zir family and friends as well as monetary and food donations from the public.

Free food is distributed every Friday from 4-6pm.

We always accept donations of dog and cat food both wet and dry of any brand whether it has been opened or not.

To take advantages of this vital resource we do require proof of spay/neuter so please bring your animals vet or shelter records on your first visit.

This unique fund enables the SPCA to provide extensive veterinary care for sick, injured, abused or neglected animals that would otherwise be euthanized. This fund helps to cover the costs of “above and beyond” care such as surgery, medication and other treatments that an animal may need before they are to be made available for adoption. By giving animals a second chance, this special fund directly saves lives.

The Second Chance Fund brings the Santa Cruz SPCA closer to its dream of finding each and every unwanted animal a permanent and loving home.

The Santa Cruz SPCA offers a FREE ask the dog trainer session once a month with a local reputable trainer to help dog owners with behavioral issues or training questions. This small-group setting is perfect for people who have newly adopted their first animal or people who have adopted and are experiencing problems they’ve never dealt with before. The purpose of this program is to provide support so that adoptions are a success and fewer animals end up in shelters due to trainable behaviors. This hour long information session can prove to be invaluable in making sure your adoption is a success!

Operation Just Paws is a new program designed to enrich the lives of veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by providing them with an adopted therapy dog. This wonderful program provides companionship and love to those who need it most - on both sides.

The program has already been incredibly successful. You can read about Laddie and the hundreds of military men suffering
from PTSD that he will help in
the years to come by clicking here: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_23399222/abandoned-dog-finds-new-home-helping-combat-veterans.

A few weeks after Laddie’s adoption there was Paris, a little white terrier, who
was adopted by a Monterey man who owns and lives on the yacht Independence, which he sails all over the west coast taking veterans on sailing and fishing trips through the Stars and Stripes program. He fell in love with the scruffy little girl and off they went to live life on the ocean. A few weeks later we got a visit from the man letting us know that Paris is now a very valued and popular part of a veteran’s cruise that he provides at no charge to any man or woman in the
military. He reported that there was never a better site to see than that little white dog on the laps of war torn veterans and being the sole reason for their huge smiles.

After Paris there was Muppet, who was adopted by of the organization Veterans Helping Veterans. Muppet will be taken to hospitals to visit terminally ill veterans and provide them with comfort and companionship.

The Santa Cruz SPCA provides a free support group for people who are dealing with the emotions that occur when a companion animal is lost through death or other circumstances. A trained grief counselor helps people find ways to cope with the loss, and others who have lost companion animals offer support also. The group is based on the belief that grief needs to be shared in order for healing to happen. We are a story-telling and listening group.
Please call for details.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are between eight and ten million cats and dogs entering American shelters every year. Four to five million of these animals are euthanized.
Even with a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance many people in Santa Cruz still do not spay/neuter their pets, especially during times of economic hardship. This program is aimed at fighting pet overpopulation and preventing animals from ever entering shelter doors.

The Santa Cruz SPCA has teamed up with local veterinarians in an effort to curb the costs of altering pets. For a discount on the price of surgery, anyone, regardless of income, may download our Spay/Neuter Certificate. Participating veterinarians are listed on the second page.