Local nonprofit looks back on decades of animal welfare in SLO County
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Woods Humane Society celebrates 70 years of saving local dogs and cats in need this year. It will kick off its anniversary celebrations with a free Coffee with the Cats event for the public this Saturday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at its North County location.
The San Luis Obispo County nonprofit animal shelter’s foundations date back to 1955, when Frances Newhall Woods donated her property in Nipomo to the “Bark and Purr Club” to provide shelter for local pets in need. The organization has gone on to find loving homes for up to 3,000 dogs and cats per year, and to enrich the lives of tens of thousands of local adoptive families. In 2024 alone, Woods performed 2,884 adoptions and 5,471 spay/neuter surgeries.
After its founding, Woods served as the official humane officer for San Luis Obispo County from 1959 to 1974; relocated near the airport in San Luis Obispo in 1960; and, in 1993, implemented a policy of spaying or neutering every pet before adoption to help address the issue of pet overpopulation.
The organization moved to its current location at 875 Oklahoma Ave. in San Luis Obispo in 2005. Its 25,000-square-foot campus sits on 5 acres of San Luis Obispo County land and features a state-of-the-art cattery, two canine pods, 13 canine exercise yards, a well-appointed surgery center, a training and behavior center, and a 1,300-square-foot community room. As part of its lease agreement with the county, Woods takes in more than 300 cats and dogs from SLO County Animal Services Division each year.
On Jan. 1, 2017, Woods Humane Society merged with North County Humane Society at 2300 Ramona Drive in Atascadero. Now called Woods Humane Society — North County, the location provides shelter and adoption opportunities for cats and kittens, and now includes the county’s first public spay/neuter clinic, opened in 2018.
Woods CEO Emily L’Heureux said she is proud to carry the torch that Frances Newhall Woods ignited, and is so grateful for the community for its decades of support that have made the founding mother’s original vision possible.
“This year, as we celebrate this important landmark anniversary, we are committed to continuing the incredible story of animal welfare on the Central Coast,” she said. “Woods is developing strategic shelter and community partnerships, providing state-of-the-art medical care, enhancing our network of fosters and volunteers, and raising awareness and adoption rates in order to help the thousands of animals still in need.”
L’Heureux explained that Woods also provides thousands of low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, Pet Pantry supplies and free vaccine and microchip clinics for pet owners in need, and affordable training classes to its animal-loving community.
“After decades as one of the leading animal welfare organizations on the Central Coast, we’re confident that our expertise, innovation and broad base of community support as the county’s top-voted nonprofit puts us in the best position possible to meet the growing demand for animal support services in SLO County,” she said. “We are immensely grateful to the SLO County community of volunteers, supporters and adopters that makes our mission a true society of passionate individuals, and that will enable us not only to save more lives, but to continue shaping the future of animal care in our community for 70 more years.”
Woods Humane Society SLO is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, and at 2300 Ramona Road, Atascadero, and is open to the public daily from 12 to 5 p.m., with adoption hours from 12 to 4 p.m. For more information about Woods, visit WoodsHumane.org or call (805) 543-9316.
Feature Image: Frances Newhall Woods, pictured with her children, donated her property in Nipomo to the “Bark and Purr Club” to provide shelter for local pets in need. Photo Courtesy of Woods Humane Society
