I would like to share with you the inside story as a long time supporter and current board member of the Sequoia Humane Society. As a retired educator I volunteered with SHS to go into classrooms and teach children to become responsible animal caretakers. I later joined the SHS board and am presently serving as President. Over the years I have increased my knowledge of animal care and gained a deeper understanding of the practical and emotional aspects of running a shelter.

Matching pet owners with the animal that best fits their lifestyle is a challenge, and a responsibility we take very seriously. Many people adopt animals because they’re “cute”, only to discover later that they are too hyper or too big for their house, or that they bark too much. At this point they try to return them to the shelter or rescue from which they were adopted, many of which won’t accept them. At SHS we look to place animals in FOREVER homes by talking with adopters about their home situation and educating them about the special needs of the animal they are interested in adopting.

The Sequoia Humane Society is more than just a shelter:

• We take in animals relinquished by their owners. The Humboldt County Animal Shelter focuses on abandoned and stray animals only.
• We screen as carefully as possible so that the fit between animal and owner is the best possible life long match. We also will take an animal back when the match doesn’t work.
• All animals adopted from our shelter are altered and have as clean a bill of health as possible. We devote many dollars and hours to ensure animals are in excellent health.
• We are a source of public information, which includes spay/neuter programs, emergency medical assistance, animal care information, animal abuse and control questions and issues, feral cat rescue, education etc. Many staff hours are devoted to these areas.
• We provide low cost spay/neuter vouchers in our goal to end pet over population. We seek out grants and ask our wonderful supporters for regular donations to enable us to provide this service.
• We strive to maintain a working relationship with all animal rescue groups in the area and share ideas and support with them.
• We constantly strive to make our shelter a welcoming and helpful place for animals and humans alike.

We are still transitioning from providing impound services to being a “No Kill Shelter”. We have led the way on animal welfare issue since 1970, and have held the space for all of the wonderful changes that have come about in our community since that time. How many of you remember the deplorable county and city pounds that were down by the Tallow Works in the 70’s?

Most of the animals that were turned into these two pounds were euthanized using a compression chamber. Their remains were then rendered into tallow. Sequoia Humane Society stepped in to make positive changes and provide a more humane method of euthanasia. SHS worked to reunite pets with their owners, find loving homes for unwanted pets, and provided impound services for over 20 years at a financial loss to our organization. The board eventually decided this was not the solution to dealing with the huge pet overpopulation problem and took steps to become a “No Kill” shelter.

Our organization is by no means perfect. We are continually striving to make positive changes in dealing with unwanted animals.

Instead of writing complaining letters to the editor, why not join us to make positive changes from the inside as we continue to evolve? Comparing shelters and rescue groups is like comparing apples and oranges. We are all are a part of the puzzle to end pet overpopulation and to find loving, lasting homes for all animals. At SHS we face huge problems daily. Our kennels need to be rebuilt and there is a growing need for a Spay/Neuter Clinic to be built and staffed locally.

We welcome you as board members and active volunteers to work with us to help us reach these goals. We need your physical as well as financial support to bring about a better world for the animals we share this planet with. It is very expensive to run a shelter and we are doing so at a huge financial loss each month. Humboldt County is a very giving community. Please help the animals here on the North Coast and give locally when you donate to charities.

Our Board meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at our Pet Adoption Center on Loma Avenue (King Salmon exit). We encourage you to join us and to express your concerns. You can also visit the animals at our Pet Adoption Center Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5pm. Thanks for helping us help our animal friends!