My Nonprofit Reviews

Animal shelters and humane societies are known for taking care of animals while they are up for adoption. Most people look at humane societies simply as animal shelters. Most do not look at the side of the non-profit that accepts the owner surrenders, strays, and pets to be euthanized.

The Arizona Humane Society cares for both animals and people. As a new volunteer in admissions (AHS is a certified hospital so intake is called admissions), I see people of all ages, demographics, and incomes using AHS' services to surrender beloved pets for reasons out of their control such as economic issues or moving. We also see people who come to AHS for low cost euthanasia. We see many stray cats brought in by people who truly care and take the time to capture or rescue strays. Some people come in to find a lost cat or dog and we take them through the facility to look for their lost pets and give them many resources to help them locate their lost pets.

Approximately 123 animals on average a day are turned in to AHS and this means AHS is busy interacting with the people that accompany those 123 animals per day. The primary human emotions experienced by the people arriving in admissions are sadness and grief. We are there to help ease the grief that comes with surrendering an animal or saying a final goodbye. We try to be kind, compassionate, and available to all the people that come into admissions and who really do not want to be there any more than the animals do. The admissions staff treat each animal as if it were the only animal coming into the shelter that day and are extremely sensitive and understanding with the people who accompany the animals.

While the animals are the primary focus and mission of AHS, this non-profit also cares for the people who utilize the both the adoption *and* non-adoption services of AHS.

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