Our mission at the Humane Society/SPCA of Bexar County is to be the community’s primary resource for promoting the humane treatment of companion animals by providing education and adoption services.

Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County Goals

• Find homes and provide temporary shelter for abandoned and unwanted animals.
• Prevent cruelty to animals.
• Promote the spaying and neutering of dogs and cats.
• Educate the community on responsible animal care. Ultimately reducing the number of stray and unwanted animals!

HISTORY
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The HS/SPCA is a non-profit organization that has served Bexar County and its surrounding areas since 1952. In the past 50 years, the HS/SPCA has found homes for over 157,000 animals. We also help make our community a safer place by providing shelter for hundreds of lost pets and strays each year. Eighty percent of the animals at the HS/SPCA are pets that people have given up. Reasons vary as to why they surrender their pets; some owners move and do not want to take their animals with them, other pets are given up because owners get new furniture or carpet and don't want their pets to walk on them. The remaining 20% of animals in our shelter are either lost or abandoned pets or strays.

FUNDING
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The HS/SPCA relies entirely on private donations, self-generated income (adoption and receiving fees), foundations and corporations for all funding. The HS/SPCA is not a branch of any national organization, such as the Humane Society of the United States, nor do we receive funds from any city, county, state or federal source.

POPULATION SERVED
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The HS/SPCA serves the Bexar county area covering 1,247 square miles with a population of 1.5 million people and San Antonio.

ANIMAL STATISTICS YEAR OF 2005
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Pets Adopted:
* Dogs 3,606
* Cats 1,496
* Other 208

TOTAL 6,640

Lost Pets Reunited With Owners:
* Dogs 47
* Cats 6

TOTAL 53

(Remember the Humane Society offers $25 microchipping services to make sure your lost pet gets home to you.)

Services Provided by the
Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County Include:

Pet Adoption Center
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The Humane Society SPCA has many dogs, puppies, cats and kittens that are available for adoption. The adoption fee is $25-$125. This includes the cost of the animal's spay or neuter (all animals must have this surgery before going home), first set of vaccinations, bath, nail trim, de-wormer, flea medication, heartworm medication, heartworm test (for dogs over 7 months old), FLV/FIV Combo test for cats, collar and tag, microchip implantation and registration, 30 days of free pet insurance and a free bag of Science Diet Food. This is quite a bargain considering the cost of these services at any veterinarian's office.

We want to make sure that our furry friends go to loving and caring homes. We ask that you spend 20 - 30 minutes with the pet you would like to adopt to make sure that it is the right companion for you. All prospective new pet owners are then asked to complete an adoption application. Once the application is completed, an adoption counselor will talk to you about your application and about the pet you have chose to adopt. You must be approved by the adoption counselor in order to adopt. In most cases the pet will be spayed or neutered and ready to go home the day of adoption

Receiving of Animals
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If you are looking for a home for your pet or a stray you have found, the Humane Society SPCA of Bexar County can help. We receive animals Tuesday thru Saturday by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling the Receiving Department on receiving days at 8:30 a.m. The later you call, the less chance you have of reserving a space for your animal. Animals accepted are determined by the number of cages we have available on that day. If we do not have space the day you call, we encourage you to call back the next receiving day. A small receiving fee is requested to help offset some of the expense while the animal is in our care. It ranges from $5 - $25 depending on the animals age.

Lost and Found Animal Search
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If you have lost your pet or found a lost animal, the trained staff at the Humane Society/SPCA can be of great assistance. The staff maintains a lost pet and found animal pet log and searches for possible matches in the computer. Furthermore, you may come to our facility with a flyer to put on display on our lost and found bulletin board. Our staff will also offer advice as to what other steps you can take.

Pet Information and Referral Services
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The Humane Society/SPCA can be a valuable resource to help you answer any questions you may have on responsible pet care or medical information. We can provide you with information regarding low cost spays and neuters, animal pickups, animal cruelty and abuse, dog training, and many other topics.

Community Outreach and Education
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The Humane Society/SPCA conducts educational presentations to children and adults that highlight responsible pet ownership, pet needs, pet overpopulation, animal cruelty and respect towards all animals. In addition to our offsite educational programs, tours of the facility are offered for any age group. Humane and other educational materials are also available at the Humane Society/SPCA for visitors to take home. Call the Education Department (ext. 123) for more information or to schedule a tour or presentation.



Canine Cadet Program
A partnership with the San Antonio Dog Training Club
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For almost a year, the Humane Society's Canine Cadet Program has helped dogs learn some basic doggie manners. A cooperative program with the San Antonio Dog Training Club, the program provides one-on-one dog training for the shelter's older, more difficult to place dogs, teaching them some basic skills, like leash walking, sitting on command, and not jumping on people--skills older pets need to learn in order to be considered by most adopters.

So far, 10 dogs have been trained by two very dedicated dog trainers, Joan Pfeifer and Vee Davison. These two women visit the shelter several times a week to train each dog.

Because the Humane Society sets no time limit for how long an animal can stay at the shelter it's important to help these older animals learn new skills to make a good first impression on adopters. Canine Cadets are selected by their behavior, time already spent in the shelter, and age, in that order.

Dogs who can't walk on a leash are often overlooked, so it's important to get these dogs walking calmly as soon as possible."If they can walk on a leash, they will make a better impression on potential adopters.

Humane Society staff has been trained by the San Antonio Dog Training Club to clicker train the shelter pets. Trainers working with dogs in the shelter only apply clicker training techniques, so that the dogs are all receiving consistent training methods.

Current dog trainers volunteering time to the shelter:

Joan Pfeifer
Vee Davison
Gary Patterson
Joyce Dennis

Through this partnership with the San Antonio Dog Training Club, the Humane Society hopes to help older dogs develop some skills that will make them more appealing to potential adopters. To contact San Antonio Dog Training Club, please call (210) 738-1030.

THE ORPHANED ANIMALS THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!