Our Story
1965
Mrs. Alice Hodges and Mrs. Jean Miller Mahoney, founded “Lost Animal Registry”.
1967
Lost Animal Registry incorporated as a 501 (c) 3 animal shelter under the name of “Pets In Need”.
1968
Services expanded to include financial assistance to pet owners interested in spaying/neutering their pets, adoptions, boarding of homeless pets, and emergency veterinary care.
1986
Pets In Need moved to Whipple Avenue in Redwood City and opened a small animal rescue shelter.
1988
The Crockett Memorial Fund was established by board member Pat Sinclair to assist low income seniors with the cost of animal care for their pets.
1993
Pets In Need purchased a plumbing supply warehouse on Fifth Avenue in Redwood City, and retrofitted it to become an adoption shelter. By 1993, Pets In Need had rescued and found new, loving homes for 10,263 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens.
2007
- The shelter was made more animal-friendly and safer for animals awaiting a home.
- Dogs were placed in open apartments, did not face one another, had no bars to look through, and noise was reduced, which led to improved behavior.
- Cats were housed in rooms where they could stretch, play with toys, and climb; cats that preferred to be alone were placed in well-lighted, spacious, and clean cat condos.
- New additions included an outdoor terrace for quarantined dogs and a state-of-the-art medical area with rooms for adoptable dogs and cats in studios.
2010
The new Pets In Need animal rescue shelter re-opened in Redwood City, built to Silver LEED certification specifications.
2012
Pets In Need began offering free spaying/neutering services at the Redwood City facility and through a mobile surgical van that was purchased through gifts from the PIN board and others.
2015
Pets In Need celebrated 50 years of service to the Northern California area.
2019
Pets In Need began operating the Palo Alto Animal Shelter where we provide animal care services for residents of Palo Alto, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills and care for rescued animals from throughout California. This partnership is a national model for the humane treatment of animals in public shelters.
2025
Pets In Need celebrated our 60th anniversary of saving and serving animals in the Bay Area and beyond.
We looked back with gratitude and pride on all that our leaders accomplished for animals and their people over the past six decades. We celebrated our successes in that moment, including an astonishing 97% save rate, a model public-private partnership with the City of Palo Alto, and significant growth in community support through our pet pantry and three medical clinics serving animals in families. We also envisioned a bright future, anticipating new opportunities for innovative programming and partnerships that ensured pets were safe, healthy, and loved.