The HSVC has been providing animal welfare services for Ventura County for 91 years. Each year, we celebrate our birthday to honor our hard work, dedication, and commitment to serving animals in need throughout our community. Check out some of our favorite reasons why we celebrate our milestone each year and why you should want to celebrate with us!

Uniting pets in need with loving homes: As a compassionate care shelter, HSVC is dedicated to uniting pets in need with loving forever homes. One such adoption story is Julie and Hazel (above). Hazel, an 8-month-old Border Collie mix, came to the shelter as an owner surrender in June of 2022. She was extremely timid during her time with us and Julie was very patient with the sweet pup. Julie visited Hazel every day for over a week to ensure she felt comfortable before bringing her home in August of 2022. Since then, the pair have bonded deeply and Hazel has completely come out of her shell. She loves exploring with her hooman and gets more confident every day! It's a match made in heaven!

Keeping animals in their homes and out of the shelter: The HSVC strives to keep animals in their homes and out of shelters. One big way we accomplish this mission is by providing free pet food to those in need. Our shelter has provided over 40,000 pounds of free pet food in 2023 alone, and we don't plan on slowing down! Each animal we can help keep happy and healthy in its own home is one less animal to enter into our shelter. It's the little victories that make all the difference in the lives of furry friends in need

Rescuing hundreds of animals from abuse, neglect, and cruelty: A large part of our mission at HSVC is the protection, safety, and welfare of animals in our community. Our Humane Officers play a considerable role in helping us accomplish this mission. They work tirelessly investigating cases of animal abuse, neglect, and cruelty and also help match animals in need with loving homes. One such case is that of Hero and Archer, a pair of severely emaciated horses brought to the HSVC in October of 2018. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff and Humane Officers, both Archer and Hero were able to make a full recovery and find their true forever homes. Our Humane Officers have investigated 220 cases since the beginning of 2023, and they have directly impacted 52 animals this year through owner surrender in the field or impounding due to abuse or neglect. Their commitment to animal welfare is surely something worth celebrating!

Educating young animal lovers: From presentations in classrooms to in-person shelter field trips, HSVC strives to educate youth and the general public on every aspect of animal welfare. Angie Chupek Sagliani, HSVC's Humane Educator, provides resources, presentations, and more to those passionate learning about animals, the environment, and their community. She has reached 569 youth audiences through presentations and outreach events this year alone! That's 569 reasons to celebrate at our birthday bash!

Giving animals the tools they need to thrive: Shelter life is very stressful and often not a suitable place for high-energy, high-anxiety breeds. Our foster program is aimed to help better serve the animals under our care by getting them out of the shelter and into loving foster homes. Once placed, foster pawrents can work with our shelter staff to give one-on-one attention to the animals who truly need it. This type of care can make all the difference in finding each furry friend their forever home.

Such is the case of Bok Choy, a 10-month-old Belgian Malinois pup who was recently adopted into his forever home. Bok Choy came to the shelter in early January with his five siblings. Unlike his littermates, Bok Choy quickly began exhibiting signs of severe kennel stress, fear, and aggression. He was placed in a loving foster home and transformed into the sweetest, best boy thanks to the guidance of his foster pawrents and Tracy Vail of The Canine Messenger. Bok Choy then found his forever home with Mary and Dave, two of Tracy's most dedicated clients. The pair absolutely adore him, and the adoption would not have been a success without our foster program!

Spreading love out of the good of their hearts: We have the most amazing volunteers! These dedicated individuals donate their time and energy to make our animals feel loved during their time at the shelter. From walking dogs to working community events, we are so grateful for their commitment to serving animals in need! Our volunteers have logged nearly 1,400 hours this year so far. That's a number worth celebrating!

Making a difference one spay/neuter surgery at a time: The staff in HSVC's Spay/Neuter Clinic works tirelessly to combat pet overpopulation in our community through spay/neuter surgeries. Our clinic has spayed/neutered nearly 900 animals so far this year, and we're only halfway through 2023! Each animal they fix represents one more potential home available for animals awaiting adoption in shelters.

You can join us in celebrating the shelter's accomplishments by attending our 91st birthday bash this Saturday, June 10th. Stop by the shelter (402 Bryant St. Ojai, CA) between 11 am - 2 pm for a day of animal fun! We will have live music, a beer/wine garden, animal interactions, shelter tours, and more! The best part? It's FREE! We'll see you there!

Those interested can also make a donation to honor our 91st birthday. Click the button below to donate. We appreciate your support!

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