Woods Humane Society has received a $15,000 grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love in support of their lifesaving work for animals on the Central Coast of California.
Petco Love is a national nonprofit leading change for pets by harnessing the power of love to make communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love has invested $330 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. And Petco Love helps find loving homes for pets in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 organizations — like Woods — across North America, with 6.5 million pets adopted and counting.
“Our investment in Woods Humane Society is part of more than $15M in investments recently announced by Petco Love to power local organizations across the country as part of our commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized,” said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love. “Our local investments are only part of our strategy to empower animal lovers to drive lifesaving change right alongside us. We recently celebrated the one-year launch anniversary of Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database that uses pet facial recognition technology to simplify the search for lost pets.”
“We are so grateful for the generous support and partnership of Petco Love. In fiscal year 2021-2022, when fundraising continued to be a challenge, and when pets in over-crowded regional partner shelters desperately needed our help, we were able to transfer 1,218 animals and place 2,682 dogs and cats into loving homes,” said Neil Trent, CEO of Woods Humane Society. “Without the generous support of grants like these and our local community, we would not be able to save so many animals from unnecessary euthanasia and place them into loving homes.”
Woods Humane Society, a nonprofit dog and cat adoption center serving the San Luis Obispo County community, is supported solely by donations, grants, bequests, fundraising events, and fees for services. Working closely with partner shelters across the state, and with individuals who are no longer able to care for their pets, the nonprofit provides shelter, veterinary care, and adoption services for more than 3,000 cats and dogs each year at its facilities in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero. As part of its commitment to managing homeless pet populations, its medical team performs 4,000 spay/neuter surgeries each year.
Learn more about Petco Love here: petcolove.org.
In celebration of National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, Woods Humane Society is offering a month-long Feelin’ Good Feline Adoption Special of half-off of all adult cat adoption fees in June 2022.
The promotion comes in response to the current height of kitten season on the Central Coast, which puts a high demand on Woods’ cat-shelter space and can also take attention away from its adult cats available for adoption.
Woods provided foster care for 147 kittens just in the month of May 2022, and a total of 201 kittens received foster, shelter, veterinary and/or adoption services last month. The nonprofit shelter is actively recruiting more foster volunteers to meet the growing need.
“We hope this month-long adoption promotion will help to highlight our incredible adult cats to potential adopters, and make room in our catteries for all of the young kittens soon to enter the shelter,” says Woods CEO Neil Trent.
Regular adoption fees for adult cats (between 5 months and 7 years) are $80 and adoption fees for senior cats (more than 7 years of age) are $65; this month, those fees will be reduced to $40 and $32.50, respectively. Kitten adoption fees will remain unchanged, at $150.
All animals available for adoption at Woods Humane Society have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, licensed, and treated for fleas and other parasites prior to adoption. Adoptions also include a free veterinary exam and 30 days of pet health insurance (if adopters choose to enroll). The shelter spends an average of $800 to care for each animal and relies on the generous support of the community to make sure that each animal receives the best care possible.
To view the cats currently available for adoption, visit www.WoodsHumane.org/Adoptions or visit either of our Cattery locations, open daily with adoption hours from 12-4 p.m. and closing at 5 p.m. For information about the foster program, visit www.woodshumanesociety.org/get-involved. For more information about Woods, visit www.WoodsHumane.org or call (805) 543-9316. Woods Humane Society is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 and at 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, CA 93422.
Tickets are now available for Woods Humane Society’s 20th Annual Tails Gala fundraiser to be held on June 4th at Oyster Ridge in Santa Margarita. With a “Roaring ’20s” event theme, Woods invites guests to dust off their pinstriped suits and flapper dresses for a swanky evening of fun, all in the name of saving homeless dogs and cats.
“After having to postpone this crucial fundraising event two years in a row due to the pandemic, we are beyond thrilled to be able to safely host our friends and supporters once again, in person, and celebrate them for their ongoing support of our mission,” says Woods Director of Development Emily L’Heureux.
“Proceeds from the evening will help us provide loving homes to thousands of cats and dogs, support our spay/neuter efforts for the community, continue our humane education programs in local schools, sustain our foster program for abandoned kittens and animals in need, expand our dog obedience classes, and much more,” L’Heureux says.
She explains that as a nonprofit dog and cat adoption center, Woods Humane Society is supported solely by donations, grants, bequests, fundraising events and fees for services. “With both the cost of care and the number of animals in need of shelter rising this year, we would not be able to continue providing the highest level of services to so many pets without the help of the generous participants in this gala, which is our most important fundraising event of the year.”
Woods Humane Society says it costs an average of $800 per animal to provide the industry-leading shelter, veterinary care, training, and adoption services it maintains at its facilities in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero. Working closely with overcrowded partner shelters across the state, and with individuals who are no longer able to care for their pets, the organization has helped more than 2,200 animals so far in the current Fiscal Year. As part of its commitment to managing homeless pet populations, its medical team has also performed more than 5,400 spay/neuter surgeries this Fiscal Year for animals in their care as well as for partner rescue organizations and for publicly owned pets.
Sponsored by Saint Francis Capital Wealth Management, as well as Mechanics Bank, West Coast Construction, Big Red Marketing, Lance Parker Wealth Management, Corvus Wealth Advisors, Central Coast Medical Aesthetics, Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic, and A.M. Sun Solar, the Tails Gala will feature a cocktail and wine reception, catered dinner from Trumpet Vine, exclusive access to a robust silent auction, and an engaging dinner show and unique live auction showcasing many local businesses and services.
Tickets to the event cost $220 each or $1,920 for a table of eight, and space is limited. Ticket sales will close on May 26, 2022. To learn more about the event, buy tickets, or donate, visit http://auctria.events/Tails2022.
