An Important Message from our Board President
August 9, 2022
Today, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge determined there was no negligence involved on the part of the individuals transporting seven puppies who died last August and that they should face “diversion” rather than jail time, which would allow them to perform community service.
Pets In Need is satisfied with the Court’s decision, which will allow our community to close this regrettable chapter and continue to focus on our nearly 60-year mission of providing loving and lasting homes for at-risk animals in the Bay Area and beyond.
August 2, 2021, was a tough day for the entire Pets In Need community and we are firmly committed to ensuring that an incident like that never happens again. In the past year, PIN has consulted with veterinary experts from the U.C. Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program to carefully audit and update our transport, animal care, and housing protocols to reflect best practices. These are critical for us to meet animal care responsibilities that include proper nutrition, proper hydration, proper enrichment and behavior care, and proper medical care.
We have also made improvements in providing our entire staff with sufficient resources and timely, effective training. We strive to be a best-in-class animal shelter across all operations and are working hard to ensure that PIN’s staff expertise and staffing structure reinforce those protocols. We have appointed new managers for our shelter, adoptions and volunteers, as well as new Directors of Shelter Medicine, Shelter Operations, Finance, and Human Resources. We are committed to placing the right people in the right jobs and cultivating a supportive environment where people are managed effectively, reviewed fairly, and treated with dignity and respect.
Alongside our internal improvements, we have expanded outreach and services in our local communities. PIN’s new Outreach Department provides assistance and resources for underserved communities, including financial assistance to low-income pet owners for veterinary bills, free and low-cost vaccine clinics at more locations, pet food assistance, and more. We have also been growing our teen ambassador and youth programs and will soon be offering health checks and spay and neuter surgeries via our mobile vet unit. We are also moving as quickly as possible to an open adoptions model, which reduces barriers to adoption and provides services to keep pets with their families.
Finally, we are continuing talks with the City of Palo Alto, working together to optimize our relationship going forward, as PIN continues delivering critical support, services and lifesaving work in Palo Alto communities.
Last year’s incident shook not only our larger community but—perhaps most acutely—our direct services staff and in-house volunteers. Every person who comes to work at or with PIN does so because of their deep love of animals and dedication to saving lives. Our ability to carry out our mission is made possible by their commitment and efforts, and for that we are extremely grateful. In closing the chapter on that tragic day, we believe the best thing we can do is continue applying the important lessons we have learned and implementing the type of improvements that are helping PIN become a best-in-class animal shelter. The best organizations continually evolve, and we embrace that here.
We remain grateful for the steadfast support and trust of our donors, volunteers and community members, and look forward to expanding our important work of saving the lives of at-risk animals and keeping more human-animal families together.