A unique service to the communities of Southwest Michigan

In 2006, an estimated 220,000 abandoned dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies were destroyed in the state of Michigan.  Most were healthy and adoptable at the time of their death.  The great majority were less than six months of age.

In 2007, the SPCA had capacity and resources to rescue 1,610 of these homeless pets.  More than 90 percent of those dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies were plucked from death’s door at county facilities.  SPCA reaches out to pounds and Animal Services Agencies from 10 counties in Southwest Michigan, providing them with a life-affirming alternative to euthanasia for controlling overpopulation.

The SPCA’s large-scale rescue operation is unmatched in Southwest Michigan and rivals the programs of animal welfare organizations in much larger US cities. In 2007 alone, the SPCA placed 1,519 rescued pets in responsible homes.

Financial Accountability

A Critical Need in Southwest Michigan

The SPCA currently operates in an inadequate shelter

Our dedicated volunteers make the most of our current resources, saving lives and rehabilitating spirits under all types of conditions.  Our service to the voiceless, abandoned pets, and to our community, is limited only by constraints of our operating environment.

Some of the significant challenges we face in our current facility:

• Poor layout and space restrictions put a cap on the number of pets that can be rescued.
• Absence of drainage means all waste must be mopped up, causing cross-contamination.
• Antiquated HVAC means we’re spreading airborne disease – and wasting energy dollars.
• The facility is landlocked, with limited outdoor exercise areas.
• Too few offices, small and poorly located
• Virtually no public-friendly space for adoptions, meetings, visits and community education

An Effective Solution in Progress

A new pet rescue and adoption center for southwest Michigan

The SPCA of Southwest Michigan has a large corps of volunteers with the expertise, commitment and compassion needed to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home these pets that would have otherwise been killed in county pound facilities.  

The new pet rescue and adoption center will provide a sanitary and safe place for sick and broken-hearted pets to heal while they await a loving home.  It will help our volunteers nurture life back into broken spirits and bodies.  The center will be a place where volunteers, pet lovers and the community at large find hope, help and the affirmation of life…A place where we can join hands to save lives.

Some of the key benefits and features of the new Pet Rescue and Adoption Center:

• Safe, sanitary, and spacious living quarters for homeless pets awaiting adoption
• Quarantined areas for new arrivals, puppies, and kittens
• Friendly, well-equipped public areas for adoption counseling and education
• Efficient, productive offices and work spaces for staff
• Plenty of outdoor exercise space
• Segregated and sanitary area equipped for medical treatment and preventative health care

The Joining Hands to Save Lives campaign will expand and strengthen the SPCA's ability to save homeless pets throughout the region.

There’s a variety of ways you can help:  Download donation form         Naming opportunities 

• A one time cash gift  
• A multiple-year pledge commitment (to be paid over 3 to 5 years)
• A gift of appreciated assets such as stocks or bonds
• An estate gift
• An in-kind donation of building materials or equipment

The dogs, puppies, cats and kittens we love sure do…why not you?