is an official Safe&Happy
partner of DocuPet

Stanislaus Animal Services Agency (SASA) is a busy shelter that supports thousands of animals every year. License fees help do the heavy financial lifting needed to continue the meaningful, life-changing work for the love-deserving animals of Stanislaus County and the cities of Ceres, Modesto, Patterson, Waterford, Hughson, and the Unincorporated area of Stanislaus County. With your support, even more of that all-important care can be extended.

Each pet that enters SASA’s doors has a story, from heart-wrenching to heartwarming. SASA’s 47 full-time employees and hundreds of volunteers work every day to keep these dogs and cats (plus the occasional rabbit, bird, horse, pig, chicken, or pocket mammal) safe and happy while they wait to find their furever homes.


In the communities SASA serves, pet license fees and donations are an important source for funding essential animal services. When you license your pet, know that you are doing your part to help your local shelter workers care for lost, injured and abused animals. In fact, 100% of license fees are always given to SASA.

But why stop at license fees as a means to support our local animals? We are proud to call SASA an official Safe&Happy Partner. There are quite a few ways to support the important work they are doing, and we hope you’ll join us in our mission to provide them with all the help and resources they need.

"Our licensing program is first and foremost a health and safety issue for the community at large. We know that every animal that's licensed is protected against rabies, which can be a very real problem. There are legitimate rabies breakouts that do occur here in the United States, and we need to make sure that the public is safe. It also provides a little bit of extra revenue so that we can provide the care that our animals need." -Vaughn Maurice, Executive Director

SASA needs our help

Space limitations, increasing numbers of unwanted or at-risk animals, and staffing shortages are just a few of the problems SASA faces on a daily basis. They need proper funding to conquer these issues, and together, we can provide them with the help that they need.

SASA needs our help

How to help:

Pet tag icon

License your pet

100% of license fees are allocated to SASA. Plus, lost pets with licenses spend little to no time at the shelter, opening up resources for the pets that truly need them. License your pet here, and help a lonely dog or cat find a home.

Volunteer icon

Volunteer

SASA is always in need of volunteers; duties range from clean up to pet care. To submit an application, click here.

Donation icon

Adopt a Pet

There are so many wonderful pets in need of good homes, check out the link here for fur friends looking for homes in the community right now.

Volunteer icon

Make a Donation

Make a direct donation to SASA here, or purchase a gift from their Amazon Wishlist here. You may also make a donation via the Safe&Happy Fund while checking out on the DocuPet website.

Donation icon

Become a Foster

If critical capacity is reached, SASA anticipates the need for 200-300 pets to be fostered. To learn more or to apply to become a SASA foster, click here.

Docupet store icon

Shop DocuPet

20% of all designer tag sales are donated to DocuPet’s shelter partners, including SASA, through the Safe&Happy Fund. Shop designer tags here.

What is the Safe&Happy Fund?

In an effort to provide animal organizations with as much funding as possible, we created our Safe&Happy Fund. We will always donate 20% of every designer tag sale to our Safe&Happy partners in order to provide additional funding for SASA’s vulnerable animals and the staff that serves them. Pet owners are also presented with the option to make a direct donation to the Safe&Happy Fund during the checkout process.

SASA by the numbers

We hope that by providing residents with as much information as possible, the positive impact pet licenses have on the community is not just understood but valued.

SASA city tag
Staff member icon

47

Staff
Members

Fostered pet icon

2,258

Pets
Fostered

Pets adopted icon

2,586

Pets
Adopted

Pets served icon

9,384

Pets
Served

Volunteers icon

Hundreds

Volunteers

Your license fees at work

Millions of pets enter shelters each year. The critical care, compassion and love that shelter workers and volunteers show these animals is unlimited, but the same unfortunately can’t be said for their budgets. When you license your pet, it isn’t just a fee – but rather, a lifeline – for animals like Tobias.

Tobias the dog

Tobias

At SASA, sometimes the never-ending flow of the unwanted/at-risk animals feels overwhelming. Please don’t feel discouraged. Even with the magnitude of help needed, it’s important to remember the good days and happy endings that they have created together.

Read this love letter from the shelter survivor Tobias, grab a tissue or two (we did!):

“After my first week (and weekend) in my new home, I have to say it's really fun here! As soon as we got home, I knew my bed was the same one as the humans, and I snuggled right up. I love it when Mom tells me we're going bye-bye because it means I get to see some cool sights — I already saw the Golden Gate, went to the beach, played all day at the dog park, and spent all the time I could at my Grandma's house with her dog Maggie — she's my new best friend.

My cat siblings are still kind of scared of me, but Mom and Dad tell me it's just because I'm bigger than I realize I am; when I'm nice and calm around them, we like to touch noses! Mom and Dad tell me all the time that I'm the best and prettiest boy in the world, and I get all the presents and treats from everyone I meet! (My Mom even spoiled me with BarkBox so that I'll never run out of treats OR toys!)

Ever since I got here, I've had the biggest smile on my face, and so have my parents — check out the pictures below! We're all just so happy that I found my home 🥰🐾”

-Ace (that's my new name!)