Humane Society turning 50, offering discounted pet adoptions

MURRAY — The Humane Society of Utah is turning 50 years old this month and is planning a public anniversary celebration for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at its facility, 4242 S. 300 West.

To mark the milestone, they will be offering 50 percent off on all adoptions during the one-day celebration.

Everyone adopting Aug. 28 will receive a gift and be entered in a drawing for a grand prize — a gift certificate for Humane Society merchandise — to be awarded once they reach their one-day goal of 50 adoptions.

During the day, there will be many events for pets and their owners: Course A Lure, Splash Dogs, a dog wash and grooming, K-9 demonstrations, pet portraits, the Pet Psychic, music, food, beverages and even a historical photo exhibit.

The Humane Society of Utah was founded in the summer of 1960 to house homeless animals, provide statewide investigation of animal abuse and cruelty issues, and to develop a statewide education program promoting responsible pet ownership.

Fifty years later, the overall goal of the Humane Society remains much the same — prevent fear, pain, suffering and inhumane treatment of all animals throughout the state.

"I think it's huge," Carl Arky, Humane Society of Utah spokesman, said. "It's not only commemorating our anniversary, but also the humane animal movement in Utah."

He said when Harold "Hal" and Bev Gardiner and others began the Utah branch of the Humane Society, they had no idea what they were doing at the start.

Arky said there was little respect for animals at the time and lawmakers often laughed at working to benefit pets.

"Look how far we've come," he said. "It's evolved. Now there are spinoff groups."

Utah's Humane Society really took shape under the administration of Gene Baierschmidt, who took its helm in 1988.

A self-proclaimed "outsider" to animal advocacy at the time, Baierschmidt's simple understanding of how a typical pet owner thinks guided him to him design campaigns that helped the public see how serious the problem of pet overpopulation was. His background in fund-raising was also a plus.

In 1987, before he arrived, almost 22,000 animals were brought to the Humane Society's shelter, then located in West Valley City. Homes were found for slightly fewer than 3,000 of them. The rest were killed after 72 hours.