There are few things more rewarding than knowing you’ve changed someone’s life for the better. Adopting a new best friend is one of those moments. There’s a saying that goes “When you adopt a shelter pet, you save two lives. The one you adopt and the one that takes its place.” It’s a bittersweet phrase, knowing that for every pet saved, another one is in line to fill the space left behind, hoping for their very own hero to rescue them. The ASPCA reports that each year a little under 6.5 million animals are brought into a shelter in the United States, so there’s always another animal on the street waiting for its chance to find a home.
That’s where the love and care of our many animal shelters throughout the U.S. come in. Arizona Humane Society is one of the 14,000 shelter and rescue groups throughout the country that endeavors to empty the shelters as best they can and ensure pets are not only adopted, but go home with someone that will adore them and make them part of their family. However, Arizona Humane Society also takes on the arduous task of advocating for pets beyond just homing efforts. They provide enrichment activities for animals in their care to contribute to their overall physical and mental well-being, progressive medical facilities and services, and programs for strays and owners throughout Arizona to help decrease the overall stray population and advocate for those whose barks and purrs need no special translating to ask for help.
Arizona Humane Society is on a Mission
AHS’s mission is “to save the most vulnerable animals and enrich the lives of pets and people.” They do this through their core values of innovation, compassion and excellence. As one of the largest shelters in America, AHS is a leader in their field and are constantly innovating their services and centers for top care and creative solutions to helping vulnerable pets, whether they bark, purr, snort or chirp.
In 2021, AHS took in and provided compassionate care to 15,193 dogs and cats and saved 11,352 lives through their services for adoption, rescue and placement. As an ethical no-kill shelter, staff and volunteers hustle around the clock to get sick pets well, find loving homes for adoption and fostering, and provide preventative care as well. Many no-kill shelters are often limited to which types of animals they can take in due to the nature of their organization, but Arizona Humane has grown and expanded their services to transcend what a typical no-kill shelter can be and do.
At AHS, no animal is euthanized for overcrowding or time. There are moments, however, when the hardest of decisions has to be made to euthanize an animal in order to end their suffering from a severe medical condition or who is a danger to others. By taking in pets that are often turned away by other shelters, AHS has been able to reduce euthanasia by 83%, saving many lives that would not have had a chance anywhere else.
Arizona Humane Society is at Your Service
AHS is more than an animal shelter. They’re also a veterinary clinic, finders of lost and found pets and strays, and a resource for owners to help with rehoming, dog training, and offer tips to understand their pet better.
AHS currently has clinics at both their South Mountain + Sunnyslope campuses offering services such as vaccinations, microchips, spay + neutering, end of life services, and medical and wellness treatments. Check out the link above for a breakdown of all services available at each location. You can even schedule an appointment online!
Arizona Humane works towards giving all pets the compassionate care they deserve and offer financial assistance to help owners keep their best friends healthy.
The worry that comes from your pet being lost is compounded by not being sure where or how to start trying to bring them home. AHS and other rescue organizations work with Maricopa County Animal Care and Control to post photos and descriptions of pets they’ve taken in through an interactive map. AHS also lists sites, phone numbers and more resources on what to do should your pet become lost or should you find a lost buddy, and they accept all sick and injured strays at their Sunnyslope Campus.
There are many reasons a pet may need to be rehomed. This could include housing insecurity, domestic disputes or crisis, people who are elderly, owner hospitalization, active duty, and more. If you or someone you know is need of help rehoming their pet, either temporarily or permanently, it’s important to know the options available so you can make the best-informed decision to care for a pet.
Not all pets come with the best manners. Mine, for example, used to think of people as jungle gyms. He still looks like a parrot hanging over my shoulder on the couch as we watch Oliver & Company, but now he understands that people need their legs to walk over and get him treats, and they prefer their appendages to be scratch-free. Pet training should never be about breaking an animal’s spirit. It’s about helping them break through behavioral issues so they can have the most enriching life possible.
AHS offers Basics, Intermediate and Advanced courses to help pets learn and build positive habits and behaviors. Each of those courses run for four weeks at only $99. They also offer a Reactive Rover course to improve behavior around other animals, an Agility for Fun course to get your pups active, and Puppy Parties to help pups socialize.
Arizona Humane Society Saves Lives
Arizona Humane Society goes above and beyond to provide extra care and specialized resources to ensure they’re treating the animal as humanely as possible and giving them the best shot at a happy life. In addition to their adoption, fostering, and vet clinic programs, AHS hosts their Mutternity Suites where they assist pregnant dogs and cats with birthing and nursing, their Bottle Baby ICU & Kitten Nursery where volunteers hand-feed kittens who need a little more help, their Parvo ICU to provide safe isolation for Parvo-positive pups which are often turned away or euthanized at other shelters, and their Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™ (EAMTs™) and Animal Cruelty Investigators that respond to reports of sick, injured and abused animals.
See more about these life-saving resources HERE.
Arizona Humane Society has grown so much over the past decade or so and has made our community a better, safer place for animals to live. In 2021, AHS helped 33,443 animals through their various programs and services, and that number is only expected to increase. With the addition of their Rob & Melani Walton Papago Park Campus, AHS will be expanding its reach with a 72,000 square foot facility that will contain a shelter for homeless animals, a trauma hospital and more amazing features. We’re so excited to watch the progress of this campus as it’s built. To see the impact Arizona Humane Society made in 2021, you can check out their 2021 Impact Report and read through all the achievements throughout the year.
At SunWest Credit Union, part of our own mission is to enrich the lives of those in the communities we serve. To fulfill this, our employees have volunteered at different nonprofits around Phoenix and Tucson, and their favorite to volunteer with is Arizona Humane Society. They’ve been fantastic to work with, and our volunteers rave about the fun they had working with their four-legged friends and seeing the personalities shine through as they play and exercise. That’s why we chose them as our July recipient of funds from our Refi for a Reason vehicle refinance promotion. Throughout the month of July 2022, we’ll donate $50 for every vehicle loan brought to SunWest. You can also help Arizona Humane Society by volunteering, donating, purchasing items from their shop online, becoming a foster and so much more.
When you adopt a shelter pet, you are saving two lives. This much is indisputable, but it cannot be overlooked that your life has now been changed for the better with every snout boop, every paw five, every greeting at the door after you’ve been at work for what surely must have been 89 hours, and every adventure with your furry (or hairless) best friend.
Learn more about our volunteer efforts through SunWest Cares
June 1, 2022
Published by SunWest Credit Union
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