I’m writing this letter in disbelief that the Independent, a local community organization, could publish such petty, unvetted things about Santa Barbara Humane via an anonymous full-page ad. Santa Barbara Humane has been around for more than 136 years and has fought hard to keep animals happy, healthy, and connected to loving homes. No one gets into animal welfare and remains in it for over a century without a deep love of animals.
Since the pandemic began, they have donated thousands of dollars to help families in need of pet care assistance, with over 1,000 families receiving assistance from the TLC fund in 2020. In the past several years, they have expanded their operations and increased hours to be sure to meet the growing needs of the community and are continuing to do what they can by providing additional veterinary services, food, behavior assessments, dog training, and more.
The anonymous advertiser wants Santa Barbara Humane to also get into pet food banking. The organization actually does offer food and supplies to clients if they need help. This individual could have used their $2,000 ad fee to purchase and donate dog food or contribute in any other way to animal welfare. It would be a better application of their time and money.