The Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA is a donor-supported, nonprofit organization that provides animal care and services for homeless and owned animals in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The organization is dedicated to promoting humane treatment and compassion and care for all animals. The animals in its care come from 11 animal control contract cities, as well as partner shelters across the Los Angeles area and beyond. The Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA also offers lifesaving programs and services to the community that support the human-animal bond and keep pets in homes.

Mission Statement

Compassion and care for all animals.

Our Vision

Companion animals reside in loving homes. Communities respectfully coexist with wildlife.

PHS History

The Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA was founded in 1903 by a local Methodist group.  In the early years, PHS worked to ensure the humane treatment of draft animals, as well as rescuing and rehoming orphaned and abused children. Companion animals gradually replaced working animals as PHS’ main focus, as working horses were retired in favor of modern machines.

The Pasadena Humane Society has continually expanded and improved its services to meet the needs of the community. Today’s animal shelter was designed in the mid-90s and included an increased number of dog kennels in a park-like setting, a spay/neuter clinic, and a dedicated space for humane outreach activities.

In recent years, PHS has grown exponentially. The Animal Care Center opened in 2014 with a low-cost public spay/neuter clinic, behavior and training center, updated dog boarding kennels and expanded Shelter Shop. In 2015, the Neely Cat Center and Critter House opened, providing cats, rabbits and other critters an inviting, dedicated space of their own.

Open Door Shelter

PHS is an open admission shelter – which means we accept animals from all of our service areas, regardless of age, medical condition, breed, or any other criteria. We work with our community to keep animals who have other options out of the shelter.

Upon arrival, all animals in our care receive a brief medical evaluation and are provided more extensive medical or behavioral care if necessary. Most animals will be placed for adoption, but animals who are suffering from untreatable health concerns or are unsafe to place in the community may be humanely euthanized.

There are many reasons why animals come into the shelter: lack of veterinary care, lack of pet-friendly housing, behavioral concerns, life changes, etc. We do not believe that euthanasia is the solution to a full shelter and try all available avenues to find homes for the animals in our care. These solutions include adoption, foster, transfer or trade with other groups (including out-of-state flights). We also work to prevent animals needing to come into the shelter by supporting our community to find alternatives, such as foster and private rehoming.

In 2019, the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA had a combined Live Release Rate (LRR) of 91.47% for domestic animals (dogs, cats and critters). The LRR was calculated using the Asilomar Lite formula of (Live Outcomes) divided by (All Outcomes minus Owner Requested Euthanasia).

Donor Privacy Statement

Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA (PHS) will always work to protect the privacy of our donors. We hold all donor information in strict confidence and will not sell or exchange any donor information to any other organization. We will only use your information to contact you regarding your donation, to update you on our progress, and inform you of any upcoming PHS related events or fundraising campaigns. Please let us know at any time if you would like to receive fewer communications from us or no further communications and we will honor your request.