Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California since 1877. Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigations, Disaster Animal Response Team, Violence Prevention Humane Education and a variety of shelter services.
Mission & Values
spcaLA Mission Statement
spcaLA is dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals through
Education, Law Enforcement, Intervention, & Advocacy.
What’s in a Name? Everything!
Every year, spcaLA receives hundreds of phone calls from the public asking about a “sister” SPCA organization or a “parent” organization. Through these many inquiries, it is obvious that there is a misconception about spcaLA’s affiliation with people believing the ASPCA and all the SPCA’s/Humane Societies are interconnected. While this is understandable, it is not true; spcaLA is an independent animal organization. In fact, most people are not aware that there is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides support. Each SPCA and Humane Society is a completely unrelated organization.
spcaLA Is Not Affiliated with Any Other SPCA or Humane Society
On the surface, it may not seem like a serious problem but, in fact, it greatly affects spcaLA. For instance, spcaLA receives numerous calls from donors who, due to a misconception of the affiliation, thought they were contributing to an animal organization in their home community of Los Angeles, when in reality they gave to the ASPCA. Similarly, many people designate spcaLA in their will, identifying the beneficiary as the ASPCA but use spcaLA’s Los Angeles address. Without the proper designation, these donations intended for spcaLA, are directed to ASPCA’s shelters in New York City, not in Los Angeles.
It is the same with any Humane Society not based in Los Angeles—the money does not stay in Los Angeles. While spcaLA applauds any work that is carried out on behalf of animals anywhere in the country, this affiliation misconception is very challenging and it is especially upsetting when spcaLA tells Southern California donors that their money is not going to help the animals in their own neighborhood.
We hope this clears up any confusion. Please email us at info@spcaLA.com, if you have questions. Your support is extremely important to us, as we do not receive funding from any federal, state or local government agency. Financial support for spcaLA’s humane programs is made possible solely by generous donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Thank you for your continued support. Together we can make a difference in Los Angeles!
What is “quality-of-life” care?
At spcaLA, we focus on the quality of life of our shelter pets. These animals may be lost, homeless, victims of abuse, or the pets of domestic violence survivors and others in crisis. Thanks to the support of our donors, we provide extensive veterinary and behavioral support for spcaLA animals.
Our volunteers and staff provide a personalized plan of care for each animal, which includes veterinary care, training, and enrichment activities. We work hard to reduce stress and boredom, which can exacerbate medical and behavioral issues.
We also transfer animals to credible rescue partners who may be better equipped to address certain medical, behavioral, or breed-specific concerns.
Most adoptable animals find new families in a few weeks, though all shelter pets are different. Animal abuse victims may be with spcaLA for years as their cases move through the court system, while pets in the Animal Safety Net (ASN)™ program are typically spcaLA guests for about 60 days.
For animals who require an extended stay, dedicated spcaLA foster volunteers often provide safe, loving temporary homes.
How long do pets stay
at spcaLA?
Is spcaLA “no kill”?
Does spcaLA euthanize?
Most adoptable animals find new families in a few weeks, though all shelter pets are different. Animal abuse victims may be with spcaLA for years as their cases move through the court system, while pets in the Animal Safety Net (ASN)™ program are typically spcaLA guests for about 60 days.
For animals who require an extended stay, dedicated spcaLA foster volunteers often provide safe, loving temporary homes.
Put simply, all animal shelters are no kill. No agency wishes to euthanize healthy, adoptable, and rehabilitatable pets.
While “no kill” was a popular phrase in the animal welfare environment, we do not find its use responsible and discourage use of the term.
At spcaLA, we feel it is reckless to imply we would place dangerous animals in our community, or that we would leave an animal to suffer from an illness or injury that is beyond care.
Further, because of the collaborative spirit and mutual respect that exists between shelters in our community, spcaLA does not use the phrase “no kill” to separate ourselves from public shelters who may have significant space and/or time constraints.
Euthanasia is an action of last resort. The decision to euthanize is not made lightly, and takes into account the animal’s quality of life, that of other shelter pets, as well as the well-being of spcaLA volunteers, staff, and our community.