Welcome to The Humane Society Naples!

For more than forty-five years, The Humane Society Naples has been finding homes for orphaned pets in Collier County.

The Humane Society is a local private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) animal welfare organization. It is not a branch of any national organization, nor is it a government agency. There are two components to the organization, a no-kill pet shelter and a full-service veterinary clinic.

The Humane Society takes in only those companion pets surrendered by their owners or a legal guardian of a pet owner. Companion pets are cats, dogs, kittens, puppies, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and gerbils. If you need to surrender a pet, please call (239) 643-1555 to see if we have room that day for it and to learn all the things you will want to bring with the pet such as its toys, medical records and more. After receiving medical and temperament examinations and any necessary treatments,  homeless pets surrendered to The Humane Society are put up for adoption. These pets will stay with us until they are adopted because The Humane Society doesn't euthanize to make space for other pets. The Humane Society does euthanize pets in those few circumstances when the animal has a teminal illness or is too dangerous to be placed in a home. 

Our History

In the early days of Collier County up through the late 1950s there was no local organization to care for lost, injured or abandoned pets. The Naples Police had a very rudimentary chicken wire and plywood kennel for four dogs. However, in most cases those homeless pets who weren't rescued by local citizens had to fend for themselves.   

Eventually, concerned citizens pooled their resources to form an organization to care for the area's homeless pets. In 1960, that organization was incorporated as The Humane Society of Naples with Lois House as the founding President.

In 1962, Lori Keller was elected president (and would remain in that position for the next ten years). Humane Society volunteers kept strays in their homes and garages until architect Walter Keller donated plans for and money was raised to build the first shelter and adoption center. 

In March of 1963, The Humane Society's first shelter building opened and filled up quickly. Then in 1965, improvements were made to increase space by adding a quarantine area and indoor/outdoor kennels.

During this period and up until 1975, the city and county both relied on The Humane Society to provide all necessary animal services such as rescue, returning lost or stray pets.

However, in 1975, Collier County began its Animal Control department. Animal control officers worked out of trailers at the current county government site on Airport Road and East Tamiami Trail. In 1982, Collier County government bought the Merridale Kennels, a private kennel on the corner of Airport Road and Orange Blossom. Once they moved into this facility, Animal Control took over many of The Humane Society's tasks, such as accepting strays, lost pets, and investigating animal cruelty cases.

This freed up The Humane Society to concentrate its efforts on pet surrenders, adoptions, education and legislation. 1982 was also an important year for The Humane Society because that was the first year a full-time veterinarian was hired.

The veterinarian at The Humane Animal Clinic takes care of the shelter's pets. In additon, the veterinarian and clinic staff also take appointments from the public to care for their animals too. Profits from the clinic help support The Humane Society's mission: "to shelter animals in times of need, locate lifelong homes, and promote responsible pet ownership through education,  legislation and sterilization."

 The next major milestone in The Humane Society's history came in 1995. That year, the new building was completed that nearly doubled pet shelter capacity and also housed a greatly modernized veterinary clinic. 

Today, with Collier County growing by leaps and bounds, The Humane Society continues to be very busy with an ever-increasing pet population. Working with the county's animal services and other local private non-profit animal welfare orgainzations, The Humane Society continues to provide temporary shelter and find permanent loving homes for orphaned pets.

In addition to its shelter and adoption functions, The Humane Society Naples conducts numerous outreach programs at schools and to civic or homeowners organizations to promote responsible pet ownership, which includes pet sterilization.

Recognizing that spaying and neutering are the best ways to reduce the unwanted pet population, The Humane Society offers a low- or no-cost pet sterilization for low-income pet owners. Additionally, every pet that is adopted at The Humane Society does not leave the Adoption Center until it is sterilized, unless there are medical reasons that prevent the surgical procedure from being performed at the time of adoption.

The Humane Society also offers many rewarding volunteer opportunities for those with a desire to make the world a better place for companion pets. Volunteers frequently get to see the resluts of their efforts when an orphaned pet leaves the shelter and goes to a loving home. It is a very satisfying feeling to know you have made a difference even for just one pet.

There is so much going on at The Humane Society Naples every day. Keep visiting this site and see what is going on now and what is coming up in the future. We welcome your interest and support. Feel free to come by and visit the Adoption Center any Tuesday or Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or any Wed., Fri., Sat. or Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and see for yourself what we are all about.

Statistics
The Humane Society Naples has a $1.5 million operating budget and 22 full-time employees. In 2008 The Humane Society Naples adopted out 1,466 pets, an all-time yearly adoption record at the shelter! In addition, only 11 pets were euthanized in all of 2007, and all of those were because of terminal medical conditions.

 See our Video (30 seconds).