We wanted to know how the San Diego Humane Society handles animals that are less common than pets. “San Diego Humane Society has a program called Project Wildlife, which rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife in San Diego County and beyond. The goal is always to return the wild animal to their natural habitat in the wild. People from all over the county bring wildlife patients to San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program for rehabilitation and care. Each year, SDHS gives nearly 13,000 injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals a second chance. In 2020, SDHS announced the Ramona Wildlife Center, where we specialize in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey, including hawks, owls, eagles, coyotes, bears, bobcats, and, under a special pilot authorization, mountain lions.”

“In cases where a wild animal has been kept as a pet, they cannot be returned to the wild. If they come into our care, we would likely make them an “ambassador animal,” meaning they stay with San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife, or we would work to place them with another wildlife rescue organization that has proper permits to care for wildlife.”

Nina was kind enough to give an example using a hippo that lives in the wildlife center. “Hannah Shirley is one of 24 ambassador animals at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. She has lived there since 2002 when she was discovered in a residential backyard in Escondido. Luckily for Hannah, she was rescued and transported to what was then The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center.”

“The San Diego Humane Society acquired the facility on Sept. 1, 2020, and has since assumed care of the beloved animal. She weighs about 500 pounds and lives in a 13,000-square-foot paddock, complete with a swimming pool and natural pond to play in. Hannah Shirley enjoys a deservingly pampered life that includes back rubs, sprinkler showers, and lots of food-related enrichment activities.” If you would like to read more about their wildlife ambassadors, Nina also gave us a link, here. 

We also wanted to know about the more commonly adopted animals like dogs and cats. Stereotypically, these are mixed or indeterminate breed animals, which is often given as a reason why someone might not adopt them, preferring a purebred animal instead. “Because lineage is hard to determine, San Diego Humane Society does not track “purebreds” versus “mixed” breeds in our data system, so I cannot give you an exact number. However, on any given day, you will be able to find a wide variety of breeds, including many “purebreds,” available for adoption.”

“As of today, we have 264 dogs available for adoption. If you visit sdhumane.org/adopt and filter out “Dogs & Puppies” you will get a good idea of the dogs we have in care. Many are large-breed dogs, including Huskies, German Shepherds, American Pit Bulls, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador Retrievers. I would say those are our most common breeds. However, you will also find a Mastiff, a Boxer, Schnauzer, Chihuahuas, a Miniature poodle, Maltese-mix, Doberman Pinscher, Shih Tzu-mix, Australian Shepherd, English Bulldog, Shiba Inu-mix and Border Collie, just to name a few.”

Finally, we asked if there was anything else she wanted to add. “San Diego Humane Society, like most animal shelters across the country right now, is over capacity with dogs. We hit a new record on March 25, 2023, with 622 dogs in care. As of today, we have 595 dogs in care, placing us at 142% capacity. We encourage the community to reach out to their local shelters to see what they can do to help. Community members who can’t adopt can still make a direct impact by fostering a pet temporarily in their home, seeking support if they are not able to keep their pet, and reuniting lost pets with their families.”