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Our History
When founding fathers George W. Marston and George W. Hazzard met on March 10, 1880 to form San Diego County’s first humane society, it’s unlikely they knew that their labor of love would, 130 years later, grow into the county’s largest animal welfare organization, spanning three campuses and improving the lives of thousands of animals every year. Records dated June 9, 1880 indicate the San Diego Humane Society levied the first animal cruelty fine of $2.00 against “Mr. Collins’ boy for overriding a colt.” Within four months of organizing, the San Diego Humane Society had made an arrest and tried a suspect for animal cruelty. Unfortunately, the details of that case are lost to history.
 Between 1914 and 1951, the Humane Society occupied a number of sites. In 1934, the organization signed a contract with the City of San Diego to run the shelter (then called the pound) under the supervision of the county Department of Health. The contract continued until July of 1943. Since that time, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA has handled only owner-relinquished animals.
On July 27, 1951 the first animals were moved to a facility on Sherman Street in central San Diego. Between 1958 and 1974, various expansions and additions were made to accommodate expanding staff, services and numbers of animals.
As the San Diego Humane Society expanded its role in the community and sought to increase the number of animals that could be helped, it became clear that Sherman Street could no longer meet the needs and goals of the organization and the search for a new site began. In 1999, officials of the City and County of San Diego asked the Humane Society to consider building a new facility adjacent to the proposed Department of Animal Services (DAS) facility on Gaines Street. The proposal included the purchase of two and a half acres from the city and the construction of a 44,000 square foot facility.
After a year-long delay caused by a fire just before opening, the DAS facility opened its doors in 2002. The San Diego Humane Society followed shortly after, opening its doors in Sept. 2003. The development of this joint complex allows for greater efficiencies through coordination of function and services by both the Humane Society and DAS. This unique approach to plan and develop comprehensive animal care and public services is the first of its kind and serves as a model for other communities across the country.
When the Gaines Street Campus became the new public Humane Society facility in 2003, the former Sherman Street facility was reinvented to serve as a private staging area which can temporarily house animals transferred from other humane societies and animal control facilities within and outside of San Diego County. Nursing mothers with puppies or kittens also reside at the Sherman Street Campus. In 2008, the San Diego Humane Society opened a second private housing facility as an addition to the Gaines Street Campus: the Paws to Success Kitten Nursery provides a special safe haven for very young and fragile kittens before they are ready for adoption. This first-of-its-kind facility delivers 24-hour care to the most vulnerable animals that the San Diego Humane Society receives. In 2008, the nursery saved the lives of more than 600 kittens that would have perished without access to the facility.
Since its humble beginnings 130 years ago, the San Diego Humane Society has made remarkable strides in animal welfare, serving as a beacon for similar organizations nationwide. Thanks to the support of a caring and compassionate community that supports our mission, the San Diego Humane Society has accomplished much more than the founding fathers could have imagined 130 years ago. But there are always new challenges to meet. In Oct. 2008, the San Diego Humane Society announced plans to merge with the North County Humane Society and SPCA based in Oceanside. United under a common goal of helping more animals and strengthening the human-animal bond, the two organizations set out down the road to impact pets in San Diego County on a greater level. The merger was finalized on Jan. 11, 2010, and the campus official began operating under the name “San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, North Campus.”
Finding homes for healthy companion animals and caring for those with treatable medical and behavioral conditions has long been a challenge for shelters countywide. One of the primary goals of the recent merger is to provide more resources for at-risk populations. Through greater veterinary support, more medically treatable animals’ lives will be saved. By expanding behavior and training resources, more clarity and equality will help both campuses work with behavioral challenges in pets. By uniting north and central San Diego, educational opportunities can spread further, reaching more adults and children with the message of valuing the human-animal bond.
One of the biggest impacts the merger will have on the local animal community will be in the level of care afforded to stray companion animals in North County. The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA’s Gaines Street facility cannot take in stray pets. By California law, straysmust be taken to the animal sheltering facility that holds the municipal contracts for the city in which that pet resides. The merger with North County Humane Society and assumption of their animal control contracts with the cities of Oceanside and Vista will allow the San Diego Humane Society to impact a new segment of the local pet population, providing stray animals with the same compassionate care and access to medical treatment that owner relinquished animals at the Gaines Street currently receive.
With three campuses now in two different regions of the county (Gaines, Sherman, and North), the San Diego Humane Society is looking forward to another 130 years of celebrating the human-animal bond. |
Gaines Campus: 5500 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110 | (619) 299-7012
North Campus: 2905 San Luis Rey Rd., Oceanside, CA 92058 | (760) 757-4357
