This Winter we were excited to partner up with Santa Barbara Humane Society and local photographer Linda Blue. The photoshoot this time around was a little bit different as the pups and people highlighted were a variety of available pups up for adoption and others pups who had already found their forever homes and humans. We were excited to see the beautiful relationships that had been created while highlighting their journey together as well.
Santa Barbara Humane Society has taken a different approach to encouraging people to adopt. We found their path refreshing and key to people being more open to the right personality versus the right breed, gender and age. SB Humane Society only posts the animals names on their kennels versus printing all of their information such as gender, age, breed, etc. They have found that people tend to look and interact with the animals differently seeing their personality instead of their description. Matching personalities is the best way to go about adoption anyway. You wouldn’t pick your life partner from information on a piece of paper, you would need to meet them in person and see if your personalities mesh well. The same goes for your furry partner.
We at Lens and Leash want to thank Santa Barbara Humane Society and Linda Blue for taking their time to highlight these wonderful animals and people that give their time day in and day out to help them find their forever homes.
Lens And Leash: What Is Your Shelter/Rescue’s Name And What Year Was It Formed?
SB Humane Society: The Santa Barbara Humane Society which was formed in 1987. We have 28 employees and 70 volunteers.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: Where Is Your Rescue Located?
SB Humane Society: 5399 Overpass Road, Santa Barbara, California 93111
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: How Many Animals Can You House At A Time?
SB Humane Society: 80
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: Are You Considered A No Kill Shelter? If Not, What Does That Mean?
SB Humane Society: We will consider euthanasia for animals with unmanageable health or behavior conditions, but never for time or space.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: How Do You Encourage People To Adopt?
SB Humane Society: One way that we encourage people to adopt is emphasizing the emotional connection between potential adopter and animal. We do this by having only the animal’s names on their kennels. When we had breed, age and sex written on the kennels, we found that adopters looked more at the descriptions than at the animals. We no longer breed label, instead referring to all dogs by either small, medium or large mixed breeds, and have the history of each dog available upon request. This way, adopters see each individual for their personality. Often, an adopter will walk in with their heart set on a female dog only, but they make a lifelong connection with a male dog, and boy are they happy they looked beyond gender and found their best friend!
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: Do You Have Any Events Or Projects That You Are Currently Running Or Planning For?
SB Humane Society: Each year we have an Open House event on the first Sunday in May. This family friendly event features $5 vaccines, a dog parade, food vendors, face painting and more!
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: If We Could Help In Any Way Possible, What Would You Ask For?
SB Humane Society: Get involved in your community, share ideas, be an advocate for the animals. One dedicated and reliable volunteer is worth their weight in gold.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: What Is The Average Number Of Animals Needing To Be Adopted Each Month?
SB Humane Society: We have about 40 dogs and 20 cats available for adoption at any one time. Dogs and cats can wait as long as needed to find their forever homes with no danger of euthanasia for time or space. Our average stay is 2 months, with many animals being adopted in the first couple days of availability and some animals taking much longer.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: What Are The Shelter/Rescue’s Goals For This Year?
SB Humane Society: With the local success of spay and neuter initiatives, less animals have been relinquished to us. New adoption policies and improved enrichment programs like doggie playgroups have increased our adoption rate. These are both GREAT things, however our population number has fallen from above 80 dogs to around 40 dogs. In the past year we have taken dogs and cats from highly impacted shelters in Fresno, Long Beach, and Los Angeles, as well as from our local public shelters. This year, we aim to take even more dogs and cats and bring our population back up so we can save more animals and our amazing adopters continue to have plenty of choice.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: What Is The Best Way For People In Your Community To Help?
SB Humane Society: We are always accepting volunteers for our flexible volunteer programs! For our dog and cat companions, we ask that you commit to the bare minimum of three visits per month. We also have a volunteer-based Emergency Response and Technical Rescue Team that is activated in times of emergency to help with evacuations and recovery.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Lens And Leash: What Is The Best Way To Help Reduce The Number Of Euthanizations Per Year Besides Spay And Neutering?
SB Humane Society: We believe in safety nets for animal owners in Santa Barbara County. Relinquishment reasons like financial hardship, inability to find pet-friendly housing, and some behavioral issues can be fixed if pet owners have the time and willingness to accept help. We offer a low-cost vaccination clinic for this reason, as well as annual support to other community resources for pet owners like CARE4PAWS.
Photo By Linda Blue Photography
Santa Barbara Humane Society
5399 Overpass Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 964-4777
