Many people believe that our shelter is part of a larger, nationwide or “umbrella corporation”, but in fact we are not. Our shelter is a private, non-profit organization that does not operate under or is governed by the Humane Society of the United States, any other Humane Society, the ASPCA, the state of California, the County of Imperial or the City of El Centro.

We do not receive supplemental funding from the Humane Society of the United States, any other Humane Society, the ASPCA, the state of California, the County of Imperial or the City of El Centro. All our funding comes the generous contributions from private donors within our community, from other communities and fundraising. The funding we receive is not shared with any other shelters or rescues. This means 100% of donations made to our shelter directly aid in providing nutritious food, preventative care (vaccinations, de-wormers and flea and tick preventatives), providing medical care for sick or injured animals and paying staff members to clean up after and care for the 1,300 homeless pets that come into our care each year.

Prior to 2014, our shelter was known for having a very high euthanasia rate to deal with the overcrowding that frequently takes place in our shelter. Under the order of our new Executive Director and Board of Directors, our team made a promise that no adoptable animal in our care will ever be euthanized due to time or space constraints and all medical cases will be addressed by a veterinarian. To alleviate overcrowding and dramatically decrease the euthanasia rate in our shelter, we have expanded our adoption and public low-cost spay/neuter programs, developed new programs and established a HUGE network of rescue partners with rescue groups outside of our county. Since making that promise, our euthanasia rate has dropped from about 75% to less than 10%! That small percentage consists of animals that are extremely aggressive and have a history of hurting people or other animals, or ones whose suffering was ended due to the severity of their injury or illness.

The changes we made did not come easy and proved to be quite challenging in the beginning, but our small team remained committed and persevered! Having a community that supported our efforts is what really made these changes possible and has allowed us to save the lives of countless animals. With the continued love and support from our friends near and far, we strive to remain committed in keeping the promises we have made to our four-legged community members. Should you choose to become a lifesaving supporter, whichever part of our operation you choose to contribute to, please know that your generous donation will make a huge impact for the Imperial Valley’s homeless pets!