Happy Tails

About Us

Mission Statement: Happy Tails is a no-kill facility dedicated to protecting and improving the lives of homeless and abused animals. Needy animals are rescued, nurtured, and provided shelter and medical care (including spaying and neutering) before being placed in loving homes. Happy Tails is also dedicated to educating the public about the joys and responsibilities of caring for these creatures whose lives also have value.

The Happy Tails Pet

Happy Tails animals come from many places...anywhere and everywhere that there are homeless or abused pets in need. Follow the link to read about how we care for our cats.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing everything that happens at Happy Tails. Follow this link to learn more about our Board Members and the role of the Board of Directors.

Who We Are and What We Do

Happy Tails, Sacramento's first no-kill pet facility , was founded in 1993 by volunteers committed to a common goal: creating a safe haven for abandoned and abused animals. Happy Tails has grown to an all-volunteer organization with over 300 volunteers whose hard work resulted in our Adopt-A-Pet Center, the City's first cage-free adoption center. We are still working towards creating a larger sanctuary where animals that are not adopted can live out their lives in peace and tranquility.

We are also focusing our efforts on developing an expanded low-cost or no-cost spay and neuter program to help needy and disadvantaged pet owners. Our existing assistance program helps the pets of elderly, homeless, and low-income individuals.

Donations we receive allow us to provide or assist in providing veterinary care, food, or a foster home when a stable environment is required. Through our extensive Feral Cat program, Happy Tails maintains 12 altered, healthy feral cat colonies. This effort is one more step in helping to solve the Sacramento area's rampant pet overpopulation problem.

While pursuing our long-term goal of obtaining a larger facility, Happy Tails continues to fill the many shorter-term needs in the Sacramento community, including:

providing temporary foster care for homeless and abandoned animals before placing them in safe, caring homes
providing continuing care for animals that cannot be placed in homes
establishing an active spaying/neutering program to break the uncontrolled reproductive cycle in these animals
helping seniors and other needy persons obtain veterinary care for their animals
promoting education in the humane and caring treatment of animals.

Happy Tails is operated entirely by volunteers and has no paid employees. Our major source of funding is monetary donations from our dedicated and generous benefactors. Other funding is obtained through adoption fees and volunteer-organized fundraising events. Federal and state tax authorities recognize Happy Tails as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation.

If you would like more information about Happy Tails and its financial status, please check GuideStar.org.