All donations to the Woods Humane Society will double in size, up to $25,000, in August. This is thanks to a matching donation from the Marianne and Stacy Cocks Fund, a Fund of the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County, and an anonymous donor. The funds will help provide care for twice the number of homeless pets.
The August Match challenge aims to increase fundraising as the costs of animal care have risen for the shelter. During the first six months of 2025, Woods provided care for more puppies than in all of 2024. This became a 218% increase in puppies for the first half of the year.
Woods explained that the increase in puppies correlates with a nationwide trend showing a decrease in the number of spayed or neutered pets. According to an altered data report from Shelter Animals Count, "From 2019 to 2023, the percentage of dogs entering shelters already spayed or neutered dropped from 33.2% to 22.3%; for cats, from 27.9% to 22.0%."
One puppy, Reef, arrived at the shelter at one day old and required long-term gentle foster care, nurturing food, and medical attention before being able to be 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,” says Woods CEO Emily L’Heureux.
She also explained that the shelter has drawn on its resources to treat more cases of severe illnesses.
"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,” L'Heureux said.
The shelter is combating population issues by altering animals before adoption, and by offering affordable spay/neuter services for the community. They also encourage spays through their Mom Spay program and M.E.O.W. community cat program. By creating this matching challenge, Woods is aiming to increase its number of altered adopted animals from 2,884 last year to 3,000 this calendar 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. Gifts made during the August Matching Challenge will help us save the lives of hundreds more animals,” L'Heureux said.
To get your donation doubled, donate online at www.WoodsHumane.org or in person at Woods Humane Society SLO (875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405) or Woods Humane Society North County (2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, CA 93422).
