Frequently Asked Questions

How does Glendale Humane Society define No-Kill?
What are your definitions of “adoptable”, “treatable” and “non-rehabilitatable”?
What is a Courtesy Listing?
I can’t keep my pet – can you take it?
I found a dog/cat – can you take it?

How does Glendale Humane Society define No-Kill?

Glendale Humane Society agrees with the generally accepted definition used by No-Kill shelters and leaders in the No-Kill sheltering movement, organizations such as Maddie’s Fund and Best Friends. That is, No-Kill means saving both healthy and treatable dogs and cats, with euthanasia reserved only for unhealthy and untreatable animals.

What are your definitions of “adoptable”, “treatable” and “non-rehabilitatable”?

According to California law, healthy (adoptable) animals are “those animals eight weeks of age or older that, at or subsequent to the time the animal is impounded or otherwise taken into possession, have manifested no sign of a behavioral or temperamental defect that could pose a health or safety risk or otherwise make the animal unsuitable for placement as a pet, and have manifested no sign of disease, injury, or congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the health of the animal or that is likely to adversely affect the animals health in the future.” Healthy (adoptable) animals may be old, deaf, blind, disfigured or disabled. At Glendale Humane Society, we rely on foster parents to help us save the lives of unweaned or under-age puppies and kittens. These animals are nurtured in private homes until they are of an adoptable age.
Treatable: According to California law, a treatable animal is “any animal that is not adoptable but that could become adoptable with reasonable efforts.” Sick, injured, traumatized, infant or unsocialized, these animals need appropriate medical treatment, behavior modification and/or foster care to turn them into healthy animals ready for placement.
Non-rehabilitatable: Non-reabilitatable animals are neither healthy (adoptable) nor treatable. They include 1) cats and dogs for whom euthanasia is the most humane alternative due to disease, injury or suffering that can’t be alleviated; 2) vicious cats and dogs, the placement of whom would constitute a danger to the public; and 3) cats and dogs who pose a public health hazard.

What is a Courtesy Listing?

GH offers this free service to individual rescuers and those seeking help re-homing a family pet. It works like a bulletin board – each poster must supply a complete biography, a good quality .jpeg image, and personal contact information. Interested parties will contact the individual listed in the bio, not GHS. Animals will remain posted on the GHS web site for 30 days. GHS will only post animals that have been spayed/neutered. Please send your information to us here.

I can’t keep my pet – can you take it?

Because GHS is a no-kill shelter, we are contacted daily by numerous individuals and rescuers seeking to bring a homeless companion animal to us. Our facility is small and our space is extremely limited, however.

Roughly 70% of the animals in our care are rescued from high-kill animal control facilities throughout the Southland. The other 30% are owner-surrendered.

If you have a family pet that you wish to re-home, we encourage you to start by posting that animal on our web site as a courtesy listing while your pet remains in your care. Showing your pet at home where they are relaxed and accustomed to their surroundings will allow them to put their best paw forward. A dog or cat used to the comforts of home will not show as well once in a kennel. Many become so distressed when separated from their primary caregivers they show extreme behavior - appearing either frantic or withdrawn. If there is any chance you can keep your pet at home with you while searching for a new situation for him/her, it would greatly increase their chances of being adopted.

If that is not possible, and you must re-home your pet, you may contact GHS by phone or email requesting an appointment to have your pet evaluated for intake. This intake evaluation must be scheduled in advance. GHS will not accept any animal without prior arrangement or approval. Should we be able to accept your animal, there is an intake fee of $100.

An evaluation does not guarantee acceptance of any animal. We reserve the right to accept only those companion animals that we consider good candidates for our shelter. We will not be able to accept geriatric animals with advanced medical conditions, nor can we accept animals that have any aggression issues. In these situations, we can offer referrals to veterinarians, dog trainers and animal behavior specialists in your area.

I found a dog/cat – can you take it?

Glendale Humane Society fields numerous calls from people who find lost animals. One of their first questions is, “Can we bring this animal to you? We don’t want to take it to the pound.” Since GHS does not do animal control for the city of Glendale, we are unable to accept any animal found on the streets.

As this animal’s “rescuer”, we urge you to take it to the animal control facility closest to where it was found (for residents of Glendale, that would be the Pasadena Humane Society: 361 S. Raymond Avenue). Taking it to the appropriate shelter allows it to be scanned to see if it has a microchip, and for its license or rabies tag to be traced so it may be returned home ASAP. If you do find an animal, here are some tips:

Check for serious injuries, but use extreme caution: a hurt animal can be fearful and unpredictable. Never put yourself in danger of being bitten.
If the animal is approachable and comes to you, offer food and water. Some pets may have been out on the street for a while and are hungry and dehydrated.
Take the animal to the nearest shelter. This is the logical place for owners to search for their lost pets. Scanning for microchips and tracing tags occurs as soon as the animal is impounded. In addition, most shelters now have web sites with photos of all animals impounded. They are updated in real time, making it possible for an owner to search local shelters during non-business hours.
If you wish to remain involved in the fate of the animal you found, you may request that a First Rights be placed on the animal in your name. Depending on the shelter, by paying a small deposit (which then goes towards adoption fees), or in some cases by simply placing your name on a HOLD list, you will be the only person allowed to adopt the animal when it becomes available should its owner not reclaim it. If you wish to adopt, foster or find a permanent home for the animal you found, you now have at least 5 days to work out the details while the pet is safely off the streets. Upon adoption, the animal will be spayed or neutered, receive immunizations and a microchip.
If you simply can’t bring yourself to take the found animal to the shelter, you must notify the shelter and be able to document your *good faith* effort to locate the animal owner for up to a month before assuming ownership. The animal should be registered as FOUND at the appropriate area animal control facility. Placing ads in local newspapers, posting flyers with your number as a referral are also recommended, before attempts to re-home the found animal are made. Keep in mind that in the eyes of the law, animals are property. Making every reasonable effort to allow them to be recovered by their original owner should be your first priority. Also keep in mind that looks can be deceiving. A lost animal can lose weight rapidly out on the streets, making it tempting to jump to conclusions about what a “bad” owner the lost and confused animal you found must have had.
If you do find yourself in a position to re-home a found or abandoned pet, please screen all potential adopters carefully and inspect any potential home for safety. “Free to a good home” is not advised, as people often wish to obtain animals for unsavory purposes. GHS recommends asking for a small donation to cover the cost of vet bills and care, it also deters those who may not have taken the decision to adopt seriously. The best home is out there, it just might take a while to find – but the effort will be well worth it.