Mission
Helen Woodward Animal Center passionately believes that "animals help people and people help animals" through trust, unconditional love, and respect, creates a legacy of caring. Sharing this philosophy with others, the Center inspires and teaches locally and globally, the importance of the animal-human bond.
Our Story
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a unique, private, non-profit organization in San Diego County that, for over 50 years, has been committed to the philosophy of people helping animals and animals helping people. Nestled on 12 acres in Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego County our nationally recognized Center provides a variety of services that benefit the community through educational and therapeutic programs for people, and humane care and adoption for animals.
Today, our Adoptions program saves the lives of more than 3,000 pets each year, while our other programs and services positively impact over 10,000 additional animals through our hospitals, boarding facility, and programs and services. To name just a few highlights: our Pet Encounter Therapy program now reaches over 25,000 children and adults annually. Our Therapeutic Riding program serves 65 clients each week, while AniMeals provides support to more than 600 people every month. Additionally, our Education program engages approximately 10,000 children each year through Critter Camp, special tours, and group visits.
As a no-kill facility, we receive no government funding and rely heavily on tax-deductible donations from generous private supporters to sustain our life-saving efforts.