A Message from Andrea

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! The recent blast of winter weather has kept us on our toes to start the year. And as always, our dedicated team of staff and volunteers were here to ensure the cats, dogs, and rabbits received the best care possible.

The work of animal welfare is often unpredictable. Pets in need don’t have a schedule – they don’t observe holidays or take a break when the weather turns bad. The animals rely on us, and our team is here for them every day.

2023 was a great year for pets and people in our community and I’m proud of the progress we made on our strategic plan, Path Forward 2025. We exceeded many of our annual goals, increased our surgical capacity, decreased the length of stay for animals in our care, and expanded our Community Solutions programs that help keep people and pets together. In this issue of WAG, you’ll find many of our statistics and highlights of impact. Take a moment to review them and I think you’ll be impressed with the work we accomplished together last year.

As I look ahead to 2024, I’m excited for the many opportunities we will have to expand our lifesaving work. The need in our community is greater than ever, and with your support I know we can make an even bigger impact for the pets who need us.

Thank you for joining with us. Together, we will make our vision of a community where everyone loves and cares for animals a reality.

With deep gratitude,
Andrea

A Year in Review

The new year is here, but we're not ready to put 2023 behind us just yet - we have a lot to celebrate! It was a big year for HSSW and our work with pets and people in our community. Here's a look back at just a few of the incredible and lifesaving achievements from last year.

In 2023...

• More than 6,000 animals received care - lost pets were reunited with their families; adoptable pets found a second chance for a happy home; pets in need received essential medical care; and animals escaping abuse and neglect received the care and support they deserve.
• Foster volunteers cared for 1,274 pets (including nearly 900 kittens) offering a quiet space, specialty care, and so much more.
• 3,779 pets were adopted and found new, loving homes in our community.
• Our HELP fund provided financial assistance to provide care to 122 pets in our community with treatable medical conditions.
• 808 lost pets were reunited with their owners.
• 60,000 pounds of free pet food was distributed to pets in need.
• Volunteers contributed more than 161,400 hours saving HSSW over $5 million in labor costs.
• ReTails Thrift Store sold 715,945 items for total sales exceeding $1,600,000 for the animals.

These are just a few examples of the incredible work we accomplished together last year. And this lifesaving work happens every day at HSSW. It is only with your generous support that we can continue to be here for the thousands of pets and people who rely on us. Thank your for your partnership as we work to rescue, return, restore, rehome, and reconnect one animal at a time.

Winter Weather Sleepover

When a January snow and ice storm threatened to make travel unsafe or impossible, our team made a plan to ensure we were here for the animals. Because when you have hundreds of pets reply on you, not being here simply isn't an option.

With cots, inflatable beds, and well-stocked pantry of snacks, a team of HSSW staff volunteered to stay overnight at the shelter, ensuring there would be no interruption to our lifesaving work for the animals. And thank goodness they did! Over several days of closures, we were here to ensure the pets had the best care possible. Several more staff and volunteers traveled to the shelter every day for dog walks and cat care over the course of several more days of snow and ice.

Of course, the animals didn't miss out on the sleepover fun - all of our staff got some extra cuddles overnight with their favorite shelter dog or cat.

Learn more about this story in the media coverage from our friends at KPTV - Winter Sleepover for Humane Society Staff.

HSSW Newsletter

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