OUR HISTORY 

The Connecticut Humane Society enjoys a rich history of serving the people and pets of our state.  Hartford High School senior, Gertrude O. Lewis, founded our Society in 1881.  In a day and age when women did not yet have the right to vote, this young lady decried the widespread callous treatment of children, livestock, wildlife, companion animals, and animals used in the workplace and in sport.  During that period of rising popular sentiment demanding improved social conditions, she transformed her dismay into responsible action.

For 84 years, we were the only statewide agency offering protective services to children until the State of Connecticut developed the Dept. of Children and Families in 1965.  At this point, our primary focus shifted to animals.  Over the years we have built a staff of caring professionals, recruited a corps of dedicated volunteers, developed a humane education initiative and entered into the public affairs arena.

Our first office was in the basement of a building at the corner of Prospect and Grove Streets in Hartford.  As the need for our unique services of protection to man and animals grew, it became apparent quite early in our history that expansion was necessary.  Within a short period of time we moved our headquarters to 300 Washington Street where it remained for over 30 years.  In 1900 our first branch office was opened in New Haven and shortly thereafter branches were established in Bridgeport, New London and Stamford.  Today we have full-service branches located in Newington, Waterford and Westport and we operate cat adoption centers at select retail locations throughout the state.

In 1959, we moved our headquarters to 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT.  In 1998, a new 30,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art shelter and Pet Wellness Medical Center (The Fox Memorial Clinic) was completed and the old headquarters building was demolished.  The new facility more than tripled our capacity to care for unwanted and abused pets, and allows the Society to offer improved and expanded services to pets and their owners.  The Fox Clinic, officially opening for business in April of 1999, offers top quality wellness care, catastrophic care, spay/neuter services and vaccinations.  The fees charged at the clinic are less than the standard prices charged at other veterinary hospitals in Connecticut, as one of Fox’s missions is to provide services for pet owners who cannot otherwise afford veterinary treatment.

In 2003, we purchased a newly designed Mobile Adoption Center (MAC) immediately put the vehicle into service.  MAC has appeared at events throughout the state for the purposes of promoting our programs, adoptions, and conducting vaccine clinics.  During the 2005 hurricane season, MAC served in a disaster response capacity in Gonzales, LA. 

In 2004, the newly renovated Westport branch re-opened for business.  The redesign of the facility triples the capacity to care for pets and also provides for an in-house medical facility, which will further expedite the shelter’s ability to provide immediate medical care to the pets that are searching for new homes. 

In 2011 we moved into our new Waterford Animal Care and Adoption Center. The building replaced the one that has served the animals in the Waterford community for 40 years.  The new animal care center is double the size of the old facility.  It includes some of the latest animal care features used to house large numbers of animals with unknown health histories in an intensive housing environment. The cat housing areas now feature condos that are increased in size, separate spaces for the litter pan and colony rooms where cats can enjoy a cage free environment.   The indoor/outdoor dog runs now feature plate glass doors and radiant heating which not only make the cages easier to sanitize but also allow the dogs to select the part of the living space that suits his or her comfort zone. In addition, we have crafted a very sophisticated yet uncomplicated air system to provide wholesome fresh air within the facility.  This feature speaks directly to maintaining health in any kind of animal housing facility. There are many other features we have added that relate directly to improved animal care and adoption services.

Throughout our history, the Connecticut Humane Society has remained at the forefront of the animal welfare industry, enriching the lives of the citizens and animals of our great state.  With the powerful human-animal bond at the heart of our work, our organization, envisioned by Ms. Lewis, continues to evolve and expand to serve the needs of our society and to plan for the future.