What is Our Goal?
To create a Humane Community where no adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized and every adoptable dog and cat receives the opportunity to live in a responsible, loving environment.

What is our Community Challenge?
The Humane Society is a No Kill Shelter which means Animals are with us until they find a ‘forever’ home. Whether this takes two days or two years.

What is a Humane Community?

• A place where every adoptable homeless dog and cat is guaranteed a responsible, permanent, and loving home.
• A place where euthanasia is not an acceptable means of controlling the pet overpopulation.
• A place where community members are engaged in and care about the welfare of companion animals.

How will HSMC achieve a Humane Community?

• By working collaboratively with the SPCA, Manatee County Animal Services and other animal welfare organizations and volunteers to reduce pet overpopulation and promote a pet friendly community.
• By providing low cost, targeted spay/neuter services - increasing the number of dogs and cats sterilized from 3,000 to 10,000 by 2010.
• By doubling the number of dogs and cats adopted in our community from 3,400 to 6,800 by 2010.
• By providing pet retention programs such as behavior assistance that will help owners to keep their pet rather than surrender them to a shelter - decreasing the number of owner surrendered dogs and cats by 30% by 2010.

Is HSMC a "no kill" facility?
The Humane Society of Manatee County is a no kill shelter which means that an animal stays with us until they find a forever home — whether it takes two days or two years or more. Our goal is to place 100 percent of the pets received at our shelter.  However, we do have a limited number of animals we can accept into our program due to space constraints. Therefore, we only accept the surrender of owned cats and dogs by appointment only. Each animal that is accepted into our program must go through our admission process.