Find homes for 2,793 [ets in SLO County during Fiscal Year 22-23

ATASCADERO — Woods Humane Society, achieved a milestone during fiscal year 2022-2023 by successfully rescuing, sheltering, and finding loving homes for nearly 2,800 dogs and cats in San Luis Obispo County. The nonprofit attributes this success, despite rising animal care costs, to the crucial support of a $15,000 lifesaving investment from Petco Love.

The investment provided by Petco Love in April enabled Woods Humane Society to extend Adoption Veterinary Care to 42 additional animals during the closing months of the fiscal year, which ended on June 30.

Among the beneficiaries was Gracie, a young spaniel-mix who arrived at Woods with her eight newborn puppies from a shelter partner in Fresno. The litter, along with the mother, received foster care and medical support, including spaying or neutering, health exams, vaccinations, microchips, and other necessary treatments. This comprehensive care allowed the organization to swiftly find loving homes for the animals within the local community as soon as the puppies were old enough.

During fiscal year 2022-2023, Woods Humane Society faced increasing costs of supplies and equipment, leading to an average cost of $349.62 per animal for routine Adoption Veterinary Care. The current fiscal year, 2023-2024, is predicted to have even higher costs.

CEO of Woods Humane Society, Emily L’Heureux, expressed deep gratitude for the generous support and partnership of Petco Love, which enabled the organization to transfer 1,200 animals, accept 1,677 surrenders, and place 2,793 dogs and cats into loving homes during the past fiscal year. L’Heureux emphasized that such grants are essential for sustaining their life-saving efforts.

Petco Love, a national nonprofit, is dedicated to creating stronger and healthier communities for pets and pet families. Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love has invested $350 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts, resulting in over 6.7 million pets finding loving homes through its partnership with more than 4,000 organizations, including Woods Humane Society.

Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love, highlighted the organization’s commitment to preventing unnecessary euthanasia of pets through investments like those made in Woods Humane Society. She also mentioned the recent launch of Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database utilizing patented image-recognition technology to simplify the search for lost pets.

Woods Humane Society operates as a nonprofit dog and cat adoption center, relying solely on donations, grants, bequests, fundraising events, and fees for services. Collaborating closely with partner shelters and individuals unable to care for their pets, the organization provides shelter, veterinary care, and adoption services for more than 3,000 cats and dogs annually at its facilities in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero. The medical team at Woods Humane Society performs 5,000 spay/neuter surgeries each year as part of its commitment to managing pet populations.

For more information about Woods Humane Society, please visit WoodsHumane.org, and for more about Petco Love, visit petcolove.org.