Humane Society’s adoption event helps animals thrive
EL CENTRO — Local animals found a new place to call home, as several community members participated in the Humane Society of Imperial County’s kickoff pet adoption, Saturday morning.
“We are kicking off our campaign, ‘Surviving to thriving,’ so the ultimate goal of that will be to get a new shelter,” said Angela Zinn Martinez, the Imperial County Humane Society board president.
The campaign’s theme is especially fitting as it touches on the Humane Society’s journey from being a highkill shelter to its recent years as a no-kill shelter.
“Our first step was taking the shelter from a place that animals were being euthanized to no euthanizations,” explained Martinez. “But then what happens is we just end up with tons of animals, and you know the housing isn’t that great.”
With more animals surviving in the Valley, Martinez said it’s time for the Humane Society to take their efforts to the next level to really help the local animals thrive in the Valley.
Although they are still in the early stages of raising funds for the new facility, Martinez mentioned their upcoming endeavor will be incorporating a mobile unit.
“In the next six months, [the mobile unit] should be up and running,” Martinez said. “We are going to have pet interaction areas and classrooms for kids to come out and many more things to make it attractive and more welcoming to the public.”
Community awareness and public support were major objectives for the kickoff event, which was held in the former Agaci clothing store space inside the Imperial Valley Mall.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but we are happy with the response,” Martinez said. “It’s cool because it looks like the general public is interested and a lot people are showing up and showing support so that’s good.”
The event also featured face painting, a crafts section, representatives from the District Attorney’s Office, who provided information on reporting animal abuse in the community, individuals from Fitness Oasis, who promoted their upcoming puppies Pilates fundraising event and booths by local pet-friendly artists, along with Petsmart team members, who were sponsoring the Saturday event.
“For every animal that’s adopted, Petsmart will donate a certain amount of money to the Humane Society at the end of the year,” Martinez said in regard to the sponsorship.
Just 30 minutes into the event, the Humane Society had already seen three cats and a dog adopted to local families, which were overall great numbers to start off with, in comparison to their regular adoption sponsored events that they hold every weekend at various Petsmart or Petco store locations, Martinez said.
Although there were a variety of dogs and cats to meet at the event, Martinez also noted the adoption process wasn’t as simple as just picking an animal and walking out the door.
“We don’t just adopt out. We do an interview to make sure that it seems appropriate,” she said, “that if they rent they are allowed to have animals or if they own their home they have a fenced in yard for their dog, stuff like that.”
This extra review process was an aspect of the Humane Society that local Imperial resident, Adriana Campos really appreciated seeing during the event.
“Really, I was amazed at how well they consider the people who want to adopt because they are really strict, and they don’t just give the animals away,” Campos said.
Having never been to the Humane Society, Campos decided to check out the event with her two daughters because they were in search of a new family pet.
“There’s a lot of people that come to the mall, so I think it’s a good idea because this is a place that attracts the people to come see the animals,” Campos said.
The adoption event also featured an informational booth regarding the plans for the new Humane Society shelter that is in the works, along with opportunities for the public to contribute and donate to the building’s construction.
“They’ve been needing a new building forever,” said Paula Harris-Pangle, head of the Humane Society’s campaign for a new facility. “We have a proposed building plan, but we haven’t found the land yet so we think it’s probably going to be three or four years until we see it.”
Along with visual designs of the expected facility, Harris-Pangle also provided the community with the opportunity to purchase a donor brick with their name on it, which will be featured toward the entrance of the proposed building.
The bricks were specially priced for the kickoff event, for only $50 instead of their regular $100 price.
Harris-Pangle also stressed the importance of community involvement at her booth, given that the Humane Society is purely funded by donations and does not receive financial support from any federal, county or state entity.
“How we treat our pets is a reflection of our society, and in Imperial County, we seem to be inundated by a lot of extra pets,” she explained. “They’re a little being also and they have feelings, so we want to do the best we can for them.”
The Humane Society holds adoption events every weekend at local pet stores, along with daily adoption provided at their current facility on West Pico Avenue in El Centro during their regular operating hours.
Anyone interested in purchasing a donor brick or just donating in general may contact Harris-Pangle at pjpangle@gmail.com