Santa Ynez Humane Society

History

The Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society was established in the early 1970s as an informal group of dedicated men and women who were concerned about the care and protection of animals in their local community. In the early years, they served as independent individuals without an official entity or organization. Their objective was to rescue lost and unwanted animals and to find homes for them. This was largely accomplished with little or no outside financial support and by using their own homes to care for pets while they networked throughout the community to find homes for as many as possible. They served without any thought of personal gain or reward, motivated simply by their shared love of animals and a desire to serve their dependent friends and their community.