All companion and community animals are entitled to the Five Freedoms*.  Services and community programs provided by animal care organizations must meet this standard of care.

Animal rescue organizations and TNR** volunteers perform an essential service for the community and local government including shelters. These organizations and individuals all share common goals and must collaborate to improve the quality of life for animals in Santa Clara County.

We raise awareness of issues affecting animal care, facilitate communication between the community and its leaders about such issues, justify the resources needed by animal care organizations to meet the Five Freedoms standard of care and assist in strengthening relationships among animal shelters, TNR volunteers and rescue organizations.

*The Five Freedoms are internationally accepted standards of care that affirm every living being’s right to humane treatment. They are:

**“TNR” means Trap / Neuter / Return. With TNR, a community cat is humanely trapped, spayed, or neutered, vaccinated against disease, and then returned to the location where they were trapped. It breaks the breeding cycle while allowing the cat to live out its natural life in its original territory. TNR is the most humane and effective method of managing community cat populations.  Spayed or neutered Community cats usually have one ear tipped or notched for easy identification.

All companion and community animals in Santa Clara County enjoy the Five Freedoms