Woods Humane Society launches August Match Challenge for donations
Matching challenge backed by Community Foundation and anonymous donor
– Donations to Woods Humane Society will be matched up to $25,000 in August through the August Match Challenge, made possible by contributions from The Marianne and Stacy Cocks Fund, a fund of The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, and an anonymous donor.
The campaign comes in response to a 218 percent increase in homeless puppies in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year. Woods Humane Society reports that it has already cared for more puppies in the first six months of the year than it did in all of 2024.
Reef, one such puppy, arrived at the shelter at just one day old and required several months of foster care, specialized food and medical attention before being adopted.
“Success stories like Reef’s can cost the organization more than twice the amount budgeted for a typical dog or cat as these young, fragile puppies are vulnerable to contagious diseases and often require weeks of care,” said Woods CEO Emily L’Heureux. “As we have responded to the increased number of homeless puppies this year, we have also drawn on our resources to treat more cases of severe and lengthy illness. Woods looks to the community to participate in this August Match opportunity to help us raise $50,000 in essential funds that make it possible to save these young animals’ lives and see them through to adoption.”
Woods cited national data showing a decline in the number of pets entering shelters already spayed or neutered. According to Shelter Animals Count’s Altered Status Data Report, the percentage of dogs entering shelters already altered fell from 33.2 percent in 2019 to 22.3 percent in 2023. For cats, the number dropped from 27.9 percent to 22 percent in the same period.
In response, Woods continues to alter all animals before adoption and operates additional programs aimed at managing the pet population. These include low-cost spay/neuter services, the Mom Spay program and Project M.E.O.W. for community cats. The organization aims to increase the number of altered adopted animals from 2,884 last year to 3,000 this year.
“Because of the generosity of The Marianne and Stacy Cocks Fund, a Fund of the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, and our other anonymous donor, our community’s support this month will go even further than it normally would to provide food, shelter, sterilization, medical care and adoption services for puppies, kittens, dogs and cats that have nowhere else to turn,” the organization stated. “Gifts made during the August Matching Challenge will help us save the lives of hundreds more animals.”
Donations can be made online at www.WoodsHumane.org or in person at Woods Humane Society SLO, located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, or at Woods Humane Society North County, 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero.
