HSSC's 2023 Fall Newsletter is hot off the press. See below to read all about our latest efforts to increase lifesaving in Sarasota County and beyond. To receive a print copy of this newsletter, please contact our Philanthropy Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 941.955.4131 x121.

As storm preparations were just about complete at the Humane Society of Sarasota County, executive director Anna Gonce added one more task to the list; meet the dog transport that was arriving with 15 dogs from Dixie County Animal Control. "These are dogs that would have otherwise had to ride out the storm in outside kennels," said Gonce. "We had t...

The HSSC Animal Clinic is open for walk-in vaccinations and $10 micro-chipping on Monday until 5pm and Tuesday 8am - noon at 2331 15th Street, Sarasota, FL 34237.The shelter and animal clinic will close to the public on noon Tuesday and will re-open at 10am on Thursday weather-permitting. The Adoption Center will be closed, however all adopters wit...

When a young girl named Rilee Michelle Beisler lost her life at attempting to save her two dogs from a house fire in May 2021, the Sarasota community mourned this tragedy. HSSC started to receive gifts in her memory from kindhearted donors. Many of them did not even know Rilee, but they were so touched by her bravery and how her last thoughts ...

HSSC's Second-Annual Adult Summer Camp took place on Saturday, July 29, 2023. More than two dozen kids at heart filled the Education & Training Center to marvel at animals both domestic and exotic, owned and adoptable. For three hours, these campers became kids again. We kicked things off with a pop quiz about HSSC's history and programs, follo...

We are still reeling from the wild success of Florida's first statewide adoption event held June 23-25, 2023 and presented by Petco Love with support from BOBS from Skechers™. A total of 1,928 dogs and cats found new, loving homes across the state!Thanks to the overwhelming support of our community, HSSC had a record adoption weekend, pla...

In keeping with our community focus, HSSC received a $20,000 Rachel Ray Save Them All Grant from Best Friends Animal Society. This grant is to help divert 200 at-risk cats from Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Animal Services (SCAS) to HSSC. These cats include nursing mothers and kittens, asocial cats, and "community cats" (i.e., feral ca...

The Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSSC) received a $7,500 grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love March of 2023, in support of their lifesaving work for animals in Sarasota. Petco Love is a national nonprofit leading change for pets by harnessing the power of love to make communities and pet families closer, stronger, and...

HSSC has a commitment to saving lives that extends well beyond our own community. Whenever we can, we reach out to help others in need and this week HSSC is on the ground in Louisiana to assist a shelter in St. Landry Parish. Our work there is coordinated by the BISSELL Pet Foundation which has been actively supporting St. Landry Parish A...

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is making play possible at HSSC thanks to a $41,000 grant from the Helen C. Schwieder Fund to install turf in our group play yard. Playgroups are a fantastic way for us to get small groups of shelter dogs together for socialization and exercise. The only downside is how dirty the dogs get in our sandy, mu...

At the beginning of the last year, we set a goal to save 2,700 wet noses and wagging tails, and we exceeded that goal! 2022 was a year of growth for our shelter: adopting more animals than ever before, developing new programs, expanding our community offerings, and becoming a resource for other shelters across the state to help Florida become no-ki...

For the past few weeks, the whiteboard in HSSC's lobby has tracked the distance to our goal of 2,700 total lives saved for the year. Every time we completed an adoption or spayed/neutered a community cat or returned an animal to its owner, the number would decrease. Yesterday morning, December 28, the whiteboard showed we were just 1 away from our ...

Saturday, November 12, 2022, was a perfect day for a race. Tropical Storm Nicole had departed our region only a little more than a day prior, leaving clear blue skies in her wake. More than 160 runners of all ages, including dogs, waited behind the inflatable Fit2Time arch, hands over hearts as the Sun Outdoors Sarasota Veterans Honor Guard raised ...

Check out our Fall newsletter "Fur the Record"  and stay up to date on the latest happening at HSSC! Click the booklet below to flip pages! Interested in keeping up with HSSC? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter down below! #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own Mailchimp...

HSSC received 18 beagles from a partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, which took possession of 4,000 beagles from Envigo, a mass breeding facility that has received multiple violations for issues such as inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food. Many of these dogs were bound for animal testing laboratories across the cou...

Updates as of Thursday, October 20, 2022.  HSSC is grateful to have survived Hurricane Ian with only minor damage. We are further grateful to have maintained power and water. Many of our neighbors were not so lucky, and we feel strongly that we owe it to them to help as much as we can. So while HSSC remains technically closed to the public, we...

All 18 of the HSSC's beagles have found their furever home! HSSC received 18 beagles from a partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, which took possession of 4,000 beagles from Envigo, a mass breeding facility that has received multiple violations for issues such as inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food. Many of the...

Fitness with a furry twist! Instructor Janet Boyden will lead a yoga class in HSSC's spacious Education & Training Center. We'll burn some calories and get our zen on, then celebrate a great workout with wine and light bites. Expect some shelter pets to join the fun too. Details Date: Thursday, August 18, 2022Time: 5:30pmPlace: HSSC's Educ...

Thanks to everyone who attended our first-ever Adult Summer Camp on Saturday, July 30, 2022. More than 20 "big kids" enjoyed an afternoon of animal presentations, a behind-the-scenes shelter tour, and lots of hands-on cuddles. Guest animals included a chinchilla, a bearded dragon, a ferret, a cockatiel, a tortoise, giant rabbits, guinea pigs, ...

Our partners, DoodyCalls on the Suncoast, celebrated their expansion into the Suncoast area this month by hosting their Grand Opening celebration with us at the shelter! DoodyCalls brought in vendors for animal lovers in our community. Everyone enjoyed food trucks, pet-themed retail, and dog activities!  Sarasota pet parents cam...