Meet Our Pet of the Week

Bailey

Hi, I'm Bailey and I can't wait to hop into a new home!

I'm a very inquisitive bunny who likes to explore everything around me by standing on my hind legs or bumping objects with my nose.

I love to play with my toys, dig around in my blankets and nibble on fresh veggies.

If you're looking for some bunny to love, I promise to make you smile every day! Learn how to adopt me!

How You Can Help

Every week, we ask the community to help us find one special pet a loving home. There are three easy ways to help, and you can do them all from the comfort of your home!

1. Click here to see Bailey's video, then share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

2. Print out Bailey's profile and post it at your local hangouts.

3. Donate online to help animals like Bailey get the care they deserve.

Together We Can Make a Difference!

DNA testing for dogs? What’s so great about that?

By Stephanie Ladeira, VP of Development and recent DNA contest guesser winner

HSSV recently started providing DNA testing for dogs through our medical center using the Mars Wisdom Panel MX. Pretty exciting stuff – and not just frivolous, either. The benefits of DNA testing are many, but probably the two most useful are to better understand your dog’s behavior and to provide preventative care for breed specific health issues. Have a Lab mix that seems more oriented to one person than entire populations, like a normal Labrador? You might find out that there’s a large percentage of Rottweiler in there, which would explain the behavior and help you to provide the most appropriate environment for your dog. Or maybe you have a little dog that looks like a Chihuahua, but nips toes and heels to keep you moving in the right direction. DNA testing can help identify that your small dog actually has a large percentage of Heeler in him. Explaining behavior can be tantamount to managing undesirable behaviors and teaching dogs in ways that they learn best.

Recently, HSSV’s Animal Welfare Director, Dr. Julia Lewis, sponsored HSSV’s first DNA test. She asked HSSV staff and volunteers to vote on a dog to be the first DNA test at HSSV. Many dogs (favorites of staff and volunteers) were voted on, but the winner was Teeka. Teeka and her mother, Cannelita, have been with us at HSSV for 5 months, while they wait for us to find them the perfect home, together (watch their funny video here). We rescued these two silly girls from a public shelter when their time was up (at that point, they were depressed and shy) and they have blossomed into fun-loving, affectionate little “piglets” in the time we’ve been caring for them. To see them in action, watch the video of them after a vigorous play session here.

After 2 weeks, the DNA test came back – and while the most popular breeds guessed were chihuahua and pot bellied pig, only one person even came close to guessing what these girls had in them! In fact, only one person guessed a large breed dog could exist in these little waggy wiggle worms.

The results:
Drum roll: 25% Chihuahua, and 12.5% GOLDEN RETRIEVER (which makes sense, as Cannelita loves to fetch!) and 12.5% Cocker Spaniel! I bet that last 50% is pot bellied pig, which just doesn’t show up on the test...

BTW, Teeka and Cannelita are on hold for a potential adopter – so keep your fingers crossed that all goes well with their introductions to the other dogs in the household and that these girls can finally be in a home of their own. If you are interested in finding your own Teeka or Cannelita, check out our special animals available for adoption.

I Was Adopted in the Cat Community Room

Bridget Keenan
Director of Development




Our Cat Community Room is certainly a crowd-pleaser. Visitors ask if our cats are revolved from the individual condominiums into this room and back so they all benefit from this fabulous space, but that is not the case. You may wonder how certain cats are lucky enough to live in this room and the adjoining “Sun Porch”, and there’s quite a science to it, dependent on the proper mix of age, health, personality, and activity level. Appropriate cats for this room have been at HSSV for at least 2 weeks so the team can ensure they are healthy (think daycare where “little kids = germ bombs”).

They must be at least 6 months of age, but because they’re mellow and get along with everyone, they’re often “Golden Pets” (age 6 or older). But there may be a few rowdy cats thrown into the mix…the ones who get “The Zoomies”…because they have lots of room to expend their energy, and plenty of space for other less-active cats to get out of their way! These cats must be comfortable being introduced to new cats, and aren’t the type to hide (no fun going into the cat room and everyone is in a crawlspace!). So Cat Community Room residents are often the extroverts, although our cats in the condos can be extroverted, too! It adds up to a diverse room of interesting adoptables (or adopters, I should say, since everyone knows that cats adopt us!).

I myself got “adopted” in the Cat Community Room a few weeks ago, and it was a magical moment. I went into the room for a little kitty-therapy one Monday. I was jetlagged from a European flight the night before, and grieving the recent loss of my sister. I sat down on the wicker couch in HSSV’s Cat Community Room and this cute gray-and-cream muted tabby with green eyes immediately took one look at me, jumped off his perch, and hopped up into my lap. He put his paws on my shoulder and nuzzled my face. Hiya, fella!



But I was told there was a bonded pair, Alex and Rocky, in the room that I should check out, so after a few minutes I put him down and wandered over to see them. They had zero interest in me – it just wasn’t a love match. But ol’ Green Eyes kept following me around, putting his paws on my thighs to get picked up and held like a baby being burped. I finally asked “what’s your name, love?” and went outside to see his card and info. I my jaw dropped when I read his name was “Keenan”! (My last name being Keenan, talk about having a cat with my name written all over him!) After five straight days of similar visits, it was clear that Keenan was the one for me, and WE'RE now the bonded pair. (He had it all figured out on Day 1, and to this day wonders what took me so long.)

That’s why I love the Cat Community Room and condos…you can have your eye on one cat, but another will adopt you instead. Stop by and see who picks you out next time you’re at the Animal Community Center.

We Made It!

By Elena Battles, Chief Operating Officer

We moved! Humane Society Silicon Valley is officially open for business at its Animal Community Center!

The move day couldn’t have gone any better. In keeping with their reputation as the BEST volunteers out there, our volunteer move team arrived earlier than their reporting time. Everyone was ready to go by 8:30 AM…on a Sunday! Even the animals were buzzing and could clearly sense that this was not going to be a regular day. Our cats, typically snoozing at this time of the morning, were meowing away.

First up was our closing ceremony- a time to reflect on the years of lifesaving work at the Lafayette location and to honor the thousands of lives that passed through those doors. For me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment of connecting our organization’s past to the incredible happenings of the present and limitless potential of the future. Truly inspiring.


Next, it was time to get to work. What followed was a carefully choreographed dance...and not one toe was stepped on. Cats and bunnies were loaded into carriers and carried to their volunteer chauffeur, waiting outside. Dogs walked to the cars on lead with a handler and a helper following with treats. I swear there was a thought bubble above each dog’s head that said, “I don’t know where we’re off to, but you’re my friend and I trust you to lead me only to good things. Let’s go!” Once they safely arrived at the Animal Community Center, that same volunteer and animal spent quiet time together to make sure each cat, dog, and bunny felt relaxed in their new space. By 3 PM, all animals were settled and happily resting after their busy morning. For the staff and volunteers, our work of unpacking and organizing had just begun, but that didn’t matter. When the animals are content, we are content.





And so I sign off for today, content…

In Anticipation of Our New HSSV

by Bridget Keenan, Director of Development

Humane Society Silicon Valley held an open party on Saturday, March 28th, where 6,000 of our close friends came! And it was about 5,000 more than we expected…the response to our new Animal Community Center from the community far and wide was outstanding and overwhelming. People wept as they came through our doors, clearly understanding just what our friendly, inviting new home will mean to the “homeless” animals that will be in our care.

Because we’re still finishing up construction here, and the noises, fumes, and movement would be too stressful to our animals, we made the decision to still go forward with this party even without the animals — that we’d simply introduce the facility and its potential….and honestly, I don’t think anyone noticed! There were too many great dogs walking around with their guardians, checking out the digs. Even a cat or two made their way here. Many of these pets were alumni of our old Lafayette location, their guardians proudly showing off what a wonderful companion and part of their life they have become.

It was go-go-go the whole day. I was meeting our friends and donors who have supported us through this capital campaign…you can imagine how meaningful it was for THEM! Seeing their support come to fruition. They had given a gift to HSSV to help build our dream, based on a 2-dimensional map of the building and a few artist’s renderings. And now, here they were, walking the beautiful stained concrete “boulevards”, knowing they are forever a part of this game-changing effort….a model for animal welfare organizations across the country.

Even though the animals haven’t moved yet, our administrative offices have. Several colleagues and I are working in our incredible new home, waiting patiently for our co-workers and our sweet animals to join us. As I walk the quiet halls today, I envision the animals soon living relaxed in their quiet habitats, the small children with their noses pressed against the glass watching the frolicking dogs in the Socialization Area, the elderly woman therapeutically stroking a purring older cat in her lap in our Cat Community room, the dog sitting under the café table munching on his biscuit while his owner enjoys her latte in the afternoon sun, the rabbits hopping down the ramp of the Rabbitat to greet their new visitors, the children filling our Education Center to learn how to understand and be compassionate toward animals.

Even now, while our facility is quiet, in anticipation of HSSV’s new life…before our animals settle in and their future adopters come for a visit…before the dog-lovers fill our dog park…before all of the activity begins, I see what it will be like. And it will be incredibly exciting to be a part of it.