Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe (HSTT)

ANIMAL SHELTER:Rescue and Adoption MatchingThe HSTT rescues every abandoned or relinquished pet in our jurisdiction. Additionally, we accept animals from other overcrowded shelters on a regular basis. Our adoption program takes all steps necessary to make sure our pets are healthy, well socialized, and at their best, then matches them to the perfect adoption candidate. 697 homeless pets went home with new families in 2022 with the help of the HSTT.

HUMANE EDUCATIONPet Assisted Therapy (PAT)HSTTs PAT program brings joy to the lives of hundreds of local community members who could benefit from the loving touch of an animals. Our PAT teams visit patients in local hospitals, students preparing for exams, and firefighters working on the front lines of fires. Volunteers, with their trained and certified therapy dogs, visit people who greatly benefit from the calming effects of an animal. Our Pet Assisted Therapy dogs bring smiles to hundreds of people throughout the year.Volunteer ProgramOur Volunteer Program gives many people including adults with disabilities, children, and seniors the opportunity to learn and utilize skills while making a difference in the lives of needy pets. We are proud to work closely with Tahoe Ability, a nonprofit providing services for adults with developmental disabilities, helping their clients learn functional life skills. We have well over 400 active volunteers participating in our shelter, program, and fundraising activities annually.Our Humane Education Program highlights various topics throughout the year that nurture the people-pet relationship emphasizing responsibility, safety, and awareness. Our hope is to build a feeling of community and social awareness in the youth we reach. The impact of our presentations has resulted in many new school-age children becoming involved in volunteering in our community. Humane Education presentations take place in two public elementary schools and one private charter school on a monthly basis when school is in session. Read Up for Fun (RUFF)HSTTs Reading Program, Read Up for Fun (RUFF), is designed to build self-esteem in young readers. Trained volunteers bring their dogs into area schools where children will read to the dog. The dog provides a comforting audience perfect for allowing children who lack confidence in their reading a safe atmosphere to practice.

COMMUNITY OUTREACHCommunity Spay/NeuterHSTTs Low-Cost Community Spay/Neuter (CSN) Program helps income-restricted people living within our region with the cost of these expensive surgeries. Spay/Neuter surgeries not only prevent unwanted pet pregnancy but also improve the health of family pets by decreasing rates of certain types of cancer and other health concerns. In 2022 we provided 309 families with spay or neuter services. Providing assistance with these surgery costs improves the health of our communitys pets and relieves the burden of unwanted litters.Community Pet Care AssistanceThe Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe believes it is in an animals best interest to stay in their loving, responsible home rather than enter the shelter system, whenever possible. To help guardians keep their companion animals through difficult times, we offer assistance to qualifying residents of our community. The goal is to fill a small gap in funding to low-income, elderly and disabled pet caretakers that is keeping an animal from receiving necessary/urgent care. In 2022, we provided 31 community members with 41 unexpected veterinary expenses totaling $8,760.Pet PantryOur Pet Pantry Program provides pet food to needy families throughout the Truckee/North Tahoe region on an as-needed basis. Drop-ins are helped with pet food at our Truckee shelter and our South Lake Tahoe center, allowing anyone who needs food the opportunity to pick some up any day of the week. In 2022, we provided over 11,000 pounds of pet food and 1300 pounds of cat litter, in addition to the donations provided by other community members.Wellness ClinicsHSTT brings animal wellness services into impoverished communities via vaccination and microchip clinics. During these clinics, our Veterinarian and his team meet one on one with pet owners to provide wellness exams, vaccinations, and microchips to their dogs and/or cats. We also take this opportunity to educate on spay/neuter and sign people up for our spay/neuter clinics. In 2022, we served 364 pets during our Wellness Clinics providing 694 vaccines and 208 microchips.