The Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (SICSA) is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 dedicated to the welfare of companion dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

s and cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...

s, located in Kettering, Ohio

Kettering, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...

. SICSA's goals are to find homes for pet

Pet

A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...

s, provide shelter for neglect

Neglect

Neglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to provide care for a victim who is unable to care for himself or herself, but fails to provide adequate care....

ed animals, educate the public, and control pet overpopulation.. The organization has 340 volunteers, facilitates approximately 1,400 pet adoption

Pet adoption

Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking guardianship of and responsibility for a pet that a previous owner has abandoned or released to a shelter or rescue organization...

s each year, and spays or neuters approximately 2,000 pets per year, often for low and middle-income pet owners.

History

SICSA incorporated as a non-profit agency in 1974. Initially, SICSA volunteers sheltered stray animals in their own homes and displayed pets available for adoption in a local grocery store stockroom. SICSA's phone line was answered by a group of volunteers who switched the agency's phone number to their own home. SICSA soon moved into an unused municipal building and displayed pets on weekends. In 1977, the agency moved to its current address as a result of a land donation.

In 2002, SICSA tore down its old facility and moved into a newly constructed primary facility funded and sustained by a $2 million endowment. The new facility includes more indoor space than previous buildings and a fenced area for walking dogs. Since 2002, the agency has added a surgical suite and a low income assistance program to spay and neuter pets.

Mission

SICSA's stated mission is to find homes for every dog and cat in the community. SICSA accomplishes this mission by:

• Reuniting lost animals with their families
• Rescuing abandoned animals and find loving homes for them
• Giving sick and injured animals a second chance at life
• Bringing the healing presence of companion animals to the sick and elderly
• Performing low cost spay/neuter surgeries to reduce dog and cat euthanasia in the local area