The Humane Society of Vero Beach & Indian River County is

our county’s only open admission animal shelter. That’s an

important distinction. It clearly sets us apart from every other

Shelter in the area.

But, do our friends and supporters really understand what

these words mean? Please take a minute and learn why the

Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County is so

vitally important.

What is an Open Admission Animal Shelter?

HSVB&IRC is an open admission — or open door — animal

shelter. We like to refer to ourselves as the “Open Door, Open

Heart” Shelter.

In short, it means that we will not turn away ANY animal that

comes to our doors.

What happens after animals are admitted to HSVB&IRC?

Many healthy, good-natured dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, and

other animals come to our shelter for adoption — and we

never place a time limit on how long they can stay here. We

assess each animal’s health and provide appropriate medi-

cal care through our staff veterinarians. We provide spaying

or neutering. We evaluate every dog or cat’s personality so

marginally adoptable animals can find homes where their

temperaments will not be an issue. For more serious

behavioral concerns, our trainers and animal behav-

iorists tirelessly work to remedy problems which

could render an animal unadoptable. We take

extraordinary steps to make certain every animal

can be adopted. Still, at times, animals come to

our shelter who are too sick, too severely injured,

or too aggressive or behaviorally unsound to be

adopted out into the community.

So, what makes us different from the “no-kill” shelters you’ve heard about lately?

Please continue reading on the next page...

In these situations, we strongly believe that euthanasia is the

most humane alternative to an existence of suffering and pain

or being limited to life in a cage.

How does that make us different?

While open admission shelters like ours give refuge to ALL

animals, many limited admission shelters – which often refer

to themselves as “no-kill” – place restrictions on the animals

they are willing to admit. Their decisions might be influenced

by the animal’s adoptability or the owner’s willingness to

make a donation. Animals that are old, sick, injured, or that

have behavior issues might be denied on the grounds that the

shelter has no space. When an animal is turned away from

a limited admission shelter, that animal must go elsewhere.

Often, that “elsewhere” is our open admission shelter.

How do we work to fulfill our mission?

The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River Coun-

ty believes in helping the greatest number of animals with

our available resources. It is not words or phrases that help

animals but actual efforts, programs, and initiatives. Simply

turning a back on these animals and merely pronouncing that

euthanasia shouldn’t exist won’t make euthanasia go away.

Tirelessly working toward more animal adoptions, compre-

hensive spay/neutering, animal rehabilitation, and educating

the public will reduce the necessity of animal euthanasia in

our community.

We are indebted to those in our community who commit their

time, energies, and resources to assuring that each animal

receives the best possible outcome. Thank you!

Contact Information

Voice: 772.388.3331 Fax: 772.388.3981 Adoption Center: Ext. 10 Administration: Ext. 12 Animal Welfare Concerns: Ext. 30 Animal Wellness Clinic: 772.388.0801 Development: Ext. 27 Education: Ext. 18 Lost & Found/Admissions: Ext. 29 or

772.388.4592 Animal Protection Services: Ext. 28 Pet Behavior Help: Ext. 19 Volunteer Center: Ext. 20

Shelter Location: 6230 77th Street Vero Beach, FL 32967

Mailing Address: PO Box 644 Vero Beach, FL 32961

Thrift Stores:Vero Beach: 4445 20th Street

772.567.2044Sebastian: 441 Sebastian Blvd.

772.589.0323

Retail Stores:All For Paws Pettique

Indian River Mall (West Wing) 772.584.3831

also in our Shelter’s lobby

On the Web: http://hsvb.org

Social media: http://facebook.com/hsvbirc http://twitter.com/hsvb

By email: information@hsvb.org