2-year-old HSSV alum Biko almost never stops moving. She’s a wild child who prefers to spend her time running, fetching, and romping with other dogs. HSSV’s graphic designer, Michelle, adopted Biko in 2018 (you can see some of Michelle’s amazing work on our mobile spay/neuter clinic and rescue vans). “If I had to describe Biko, I’d say she’s the … Read More
The Small Dog Whisperer
Darci, one of our Behavior Associates, is affectionately known as the “small dog whisperer” around HSSV. Small dogs, especially shy or fearful ones, flock toward her gentle, calming personality. “Darci has been an amazing addition to the behavior team because of her natural ability to be calm and earn the trust of our small fearful canines. She has a natural … Read More
A Second Chance for a Special Cat
Despite the pain he was clearly in, Mr. Pipp was affectionate. He purred, arched his back, and leaned into pets from the staff in our medical center. But he was clearly injured. The young tuxedo cat’s pelvis was fractured and his hind leg was injured. He walked extremely carefully on his back legs, feeling the pain with every step. Soon … Read More
Winnie: A Story of Dedication
It was Tuesday, the day after the first shelter-in-place mandate arrived in the Bay Area. We were scrambling to quickly suspend most of our services, reassign some of our staff to animal care duties, and find foster homes for the animals in our shelter. And then we got the call. One of our shelter rescue partners in the area needed … Read More
Celebrating 25 Years of Maddie’s Fund
This year, Maddie’s Fund celebrates 25 years of helping homeless pets and advancing the animal welfare sector. By partnering with shelters, rescues, and other animal welfare organizations all over the country, they have helped advance the sector as a whole and increase lifesaving. We’re so grateful to be a Maddie’s Fund partner, and to work closely with them to save … Read More
A Big Blog Update on Fire Efforts
Our hearts are with the people and animals who have been affected by the fires in Butte County. This disaster was devastating, and though the fires are officially out, hundreds of animals remain in the fire-affected area, homeless and needing care. Temporary shelters have been set up to house these animals, and organizations from all over the country are pitching in … Read More
24 Hours of Livesaving
It has been a week, to say the least. Sunday, 6pm: A shelter to the north asked to borrow one of our transport vans. They had been asked to help transport and house animals from a shelter that needed to evacuate due to the fires, but didn’t have a large enough van.Sunday, 8pm:A few of our staff members headed up … Read More
The Skinny On Model Shelter: Where The Rubber Meets The Road
You probably have questions. We keep talking about this Model Shelter thing. What is a Model Shelter? Why are we so proud to be the first Model Shelter in the country? What does this have to do with all the fuzznuggets and snugglemuffins you guys are so used to seeing on our social media? Aforementioned poopies/snugglemuffins. Relax, friends. We … Read More
A Big Blog: A Rundown On A Big Week And A Big, Big Ask.
We need to ask you for some favors right now. Before we do, we’ll explain why we need them. Just follow us here for a second. This is Tiffanie. Tiffanie, though you wouldn’t know it to look at her, is having a pretty rough week. I still like cookies, though. So that’s something. On Saturday morning, she was in New … Read More
Four Reasons Our Medical Staff Kicks Butt.
#1) No Teeth, No Problem. Check out my three toofers. In case you haven’t noticed, we get a lot of wee little dogs. Small dogs tend to have big dental problems – everything is just crowded too close together in those tiny little mouths. So a lot of our smaller muffins come in with painful dental issues….. She’s got too … Read More