[JSR] The Pasadena Humane Society is More than You Think

The Pasadena Humane Society is a non-profit organization that receives animals from every walk of life; strays, owner surrenders, etc. It was founded in 1903 and initially took in abused children, not animals. A few years later, the shelter took in mistreated farm animals before settling with domestic ones. They usually get their animals from their rescue program or from other neighboring shelters. While every week is a bit different, summer is the time when there’s a high inflation of animals coming in. During the shelters “Kitten Season” they take in many young cats, up to 2000 in just a few months! The shelter is less hectic during the fall and winter since families tend to be more settled with their animals and there tends to be less births.

Once the shelter receives a new animal, it must undergo a mandatory check-up to ensure that it won’t bring in any contagious diseases. Additionally, all the animals within the shelter receive standard vaccines as well as flea and tick medications if applicable. If the animal is a stray, they are not immediately open for adoption, as they are given a chance for their owner to appear. If animals are surrendered or found in pairs or groups, the shelter works to cage them together, since this is more comforting for the animals.

The shelter may also need deal with aggressive animals at times. It is understood that the anger is sometimes used to mask the animals fear, so it is insured that the animals have time to decompress before the workers approach them. Additionally, there is a behavior team on standby that can help if the animal has higher than normal stress levels.

The shelter possesses a high adoption rate of roughly ninety to ninety-four percent, so chances of animal adoption is very high. If families can’t adopt, they have the option to foster and/or donate. If an animal has been at the shelter for a longer period of time, it is placed in a foster home so that it can get exposure to new environments.

If for some reason there is no extra room at the shelter, and they cannot house more animals, they will reache out to other shelters in the area to see if these places are able to help to take in animals. The Pasadena shelter also reaches out to rescue organizations that take in certain types of animals such as bulldogs, pit bulls, or other animals which may be harder to adopt.

The shelter regularly promotes their animals via their website, social media, adoption events, as well as other special programs. They are very compassionate and work to make every animal as comfortable as they can during their stay. Each animal group, such as dogs and cats, are separated from each other to relieve stress. The shelter also organizes the animals by their personalities. In the dog area you will find some animals with yellow stickers, which indicates that the dog is more playful, and some others with yellow, letting you know the dog is quieter and more sensitive. Not only are there cats and dogs, but they also help small animals and even a large pig named Charlie!

While animal shelters may have a bad rap, we should try to remember that their main purpose is to save animal lives by finding them new loving homes. If you are considering adopting, check out the Pasadena Humane Society, and make sure to say hi to Charlie.