About
Sacramento Shelter Pets Alive (SSPA) approaches every dog as an individual, with the understanding, backed by scientific research, that physical appearance does not determine behavior. SSPA is committed to providing innovative and comprehensive behavioral and rehabilitative programs, foster care and placement, adoption facilitation, and training and playgroups for dogs and families in need in Greater Sacramento and the Bay Area to improve outcomes and keep dogs out of shelters.
Currently, SSPA is pulling dogs who are on the euthanasia list at Oakland Animal Shelter into the safety of our foster program. We also send dozens of at-risk Oakland shelter dogs to our rescue partners in Canada to save lives.
We are also very excited about our latest chapter: We have opened our Sacramento facility at 3350 Airport Road this year as a playgroup and training facility to support our community’s dogs in need and their families – while continuing to be a safety net for shelter dogs.
No matter the size, temperament, breed or socialization level of the dogs, it’s about meeting them where they are, understanding all dogs are individuals and supporting them as best we can. And SSPA is here to help!
As we strive to make these services accessible to all, we need your help to sustain this key resource for our area!
Our Story
In 2012, around the time we started at Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation as Pit Bull Socialization and Obedience Crew (PB SOC), the live outcome for dogs at the shelter was 65%. Originally, our focus was supporting block-headed dogs, the most euthanized and vulnerable at that time, but our program has evolved as we learned, grew, and expanded our mission and vision.
In 2016, we expanded our focus to better serve all shelter dogs in need, focusing primarily on those behaviorally deteriorating, which led to our current name: Sacramento Shelter Pets Alive (SSPA). In 2018, we implemented a full-time behavioral team and the live outcome for dogs at Sacramento County’s open-admission municipal shelter was 93%, and 94/95% when we left at the close of 2020.
Then we started supporting Stockton Animal Shelter, a high-intake facility that is underfunded and under-resourced that desperately needed a support system for large-breed dogs. Our staff provided innovative, comprehensive behavioral and rehabilitative programs including critical playgroups, foster care and rescue support, communications support, and adoption retention, all of which proved to sustain a high live outcome alongside a dedicated and compassionate team of volunteers.
Now with our plans for our Sacramento facility, we’re returning to our community and our roots as we continue to be an organization our community’s vulnerable dogs can rely on.
