Summer 2008 - San Francisco SPCA

140TH YEARThe San Francisco Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals______________________________2500 Sixteenth StreetSan Francisco, CA 94103(415) 554-3000Founded April 18, 1868OfficersCatherine B. BrownCHAIR OF THE BOARDBelinda Levensohn &Donald M. Brown, MDVICE-CHAIRSDavid TateosianTREASURERJan McHugh-SmithPRESIDENTDirectorsKatherine H. BlackSharon BradfordDerek L. DeanAustin E. HillsBernard M. Kramer, MDDaniel Levitt, MD, PhD.Marie O’Gara LipmanJames J. LudwigFillmore C. MarksCraig A. PinedoJ. Peter ReadJeanette RoachEric B. RobertsOur Animals is published by theDevelopment Department of theSan Francisco SPCA for ourfriends and supporters.Paul M. GlassnerEDITORRich CurtisPageCurtis.comDESIGN/PRODUCTIONChristine RosenblatCONTRIBUTING WRITERAlthough The SF/SPCA does notendorse products or services, we arevery grateful to our advertisers,who help make Our Animalspossible. To place an ad contactthe editor.ISSN 0030-6789www.sfspca.org© 2008 San Francisco SPCA.All rights reserved. Contents reprintedonly by permission.Assisting Dogs to the Bestof Our AbilityBY JAN MCHUGH-SMITH, PRESIDENT, SAN FRANCISCO SPCAAND CATHERINE BROWN, CHAIR OF THE BOARDAfter longand carefulconsideration,The SanFrancisco SPCABoard of Directorsmade the difficultdecision to discontinuetheHearing Dog Program.We are allextremely proudof the programand its very professionalstaff andcommitted volunteers,so wereached this conclusiononly withgreat sadness andreluctance. Nevertheless,it was the right thing to do, aswe’ll explain.For almost 30 years The SF/SPCAHearing Dog Program provided invaluableassistance to people who are deafor have hearing loss. The first such programin the nation sponsored by ahumane society, it offered life-alteringservices to both dogs and their humancompanions. Its very existence providedencouragement for similar organizations.Fortunately, a gratifying change hasoccurred during those 30 years. Otherassistance-dog agencies, whose onlymission is to train and place such animals,have expanded, making a majorimpact on the field. The organizationsmove more dogs through training, keepthe animals in appropriate long-termhousing and provide extensive followupcare for the dogs, thus impacting thelives of many more individuals (bothcanine and human) than The SF/SPCAprogram could.Meanwhile, the need remains urgentfor the lifesaving services that TheSF/SPCA has traditionallysupplied toWhiskeyhomeless companionanimals:expandedspay/neuter to preventoverpopulation,affordableand compassionateveterinary care,and increasedadoption services.These constituteThe SF/SPCA’s coremission, and byfocusing theSociety’s finiteresources on thesegoals, we believewe can save thelives of many morecompanion animals.Not only will we continue to givehomeless cats and dogs the medical andbehavioral rehabilitation – and time –they need to get adopted, we will alsotransfer animals from other, underservedshelters and endow them withthe same extraordinary treatment. Ourefforts are already underway in a bigway. In the last year alone, The SF/SPCAprovided these comprehensive lifesavingservices to 1,154 companion animalsfrom outside San Francisco. This is anastonishing number, representing anexciting development that once againputs The SF/SPCA at the vanguard ofanimal welfare. Clearly, we can do farmore good for many more animals byinvesting our resources at the very heartof our mission.Moreover, within a year The SF/SPCA’snew Leanne B. Roberts Animal CareCenter will open, significantly expandingour capacity to provide virtually allaspects of medical care and to meet thecontinuing need for spay/neuter surgeries.Remember, too, that another pillarDAVID BRAUN PHOTOGRAPHY (2)2 Our Animals SF/SPCA | www.sfspca.org | Summer 2008