Celebrating a Year of Lifesaving

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Cats, Dogs, News4 Comments

It’s the new year and we’re super excited to share some of our biggest highlights from 2021. It was another incredible lifesaving year, with nearly 6,000 animals finding forever homes. In today’s blog, we’ll be taking you through some of the happiest adoption stories from 2021. Fino Fino first came to us from a Central Valley shelter through our Regional … Read More

Making Photo Magic

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Dogs, Volunteers10 Comments

Getting amazing photos of adoptable animals can be a challenge. But luckily for us, we have an incredible group of photographers and assistants that are able to make magic happen. In honor of National Dog Photography Day on July 26, we’re so excited to introduce you to our dog photography Dream Team: photographer Ash and assistants Claudia and Roseli. If … Read More

A Great Dane Gets a Great Home

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Dogs1 Comment

  Mallory spending time with one of our amazing volunteers right before she found her new home After just two days on our adoption floor, Mallory caught the eye of her new family. They had previously had a deaf Great Dane, and had been looking for another one to join their family and fill the Great Dane-sized hole in their … Read More

The Small Dog Whisperer

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Dogs, News11 Comments

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

Winnie: A Story of Dedication

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, News4 Comments

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

Why Missing Clear the Shelters Is a Bad Idea

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Cats, Dogs4 Comments

Thinking of skipping this year’s Clear the Shelters event? We don’t suggest it. Unless, of course, you’re not a fan of amazing animals, being part of a community, and joy. Then you should definitely, definitely not come. If you’re not Ebenezer Scrooge, and you do like those things, we hope to see you there! We’ll be celebrating Clear the Shelters … Read More

Dad Jokes – Not Just for Dads

Josephine TempongkoAdopt, Cats, Dogs1 Comment

Dad jokes. They can be hilarious, gag-inducing, or just downright embarrassing. The true tell of a good dad joke is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. We have a few beholders here who are more than happy to share their true-blue reactions to some of the best dad jokes we could find on the internet (in honor of … Read More

Shark Week, Puppy and Kitten Style

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Baby animals of a certain age are adorable. Fluffy. Heart-melting. They’re also basically sharks. Adopting a puppy or kitten is like having full-time Shark Week. Hear us out. Are those fingers? Tasty. Puppies and kittens are full of angelic goodness. They’re also full of razor sharp teeth. I know not what you speak of. Teeth? I do not haz.   … Read More

Boogie Nights at HSSV

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Remember our Kitty Karnival a few weeks ago? Our older kittens and adult cats misheard it as “Kiddie Karnival” and felt a bit left out. What about me? Did you forget about me? Their solution? Throw their own party. It’s our turn now. Gimme that thing. And because nothing gets a cat going more than flashing lights on a wall, … Read More