Helen Woodward Animal Center

Earlier this year, mom went with IAMS to the Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) just out side of San Diego for a tour. Since we are in the middle of the IAMS Home for the Holidays adoption event I thought you might want to know what the HWAC was. This facility is one the best no-kill shelters in the country and the CEO/director Mike Arms has turned this rescue around to really make a huge impact on the lives of animals in southern California. Here is my mom’s account.

When the bus first pulled into the Helen Woodward Animal Center I thought it was a summer camp. There was several large buildings, kids around everywhere, and stables and fields for horses. We first started the tour in a conference room where we met the director of the center, Mike Arms.

The center is located on over twelve acres and takes in over 3,000 animals every year with over 80% coming from other area kill facilities. They have about 120 employees and over 1,300 volunteers. Once Mr. Arms started speaking you could tell that his passion and mission in life was to help the homeless animals. He was able to take this facility which was near bankrupt at the time and turn it around using sound business practices into a thriving animal center. The center under his leadership now has a multimillion dollar endowment and is in the middle of a 50 million dollar expansion. They also have revenue generating activities such as their critter summer camp for kids (over 1,500 children participate each summer), operates its own boarding facilities (over $400,000 in revenue annually) and has two vet clinics on site that is leased out to area vets. Mr. Arms states that the more stable revenue streams he generates the more animals he can save because saving lives takes money.

They also don’t only take in cats and dogs but HWAC as an extensive horse rescue program. In addition to all the stables they have top of the line medical equipment (including bone scan machines) and even a horse operating room. Here is a photo of a horse having a knee surgery.

They also run a therapeutic riding program for children and adults with disabilities.

Another amazing program they have is an ani-mobile. This is a mobile class room that travels to intercity San Diego schools for a three day workshops on animal care and safety. Mr. Arms says many of these children only know of dogs as fighting animals. These pets that are on board the ani-mobile may be the only time these youth have ever been able to pet a dog safely or actually seen another breed other than pit bulls.

The Helen Woodward Animal Center has an encounter therapy program where staff and volunteers take in over fifty small animals and birds into hospitals, rest homes, special needs schools, etc to provide interaction and therapy work. One example they gave us was that the lizards skin texture was very smoothing to autistic children. All these small animals are also rescue animals.

The center also developed an innovative program called dog-smart. This is a nine-step program to help children and adults overcome their fears of dogs.


I was so impressed at all the great things the staff at HWAC does in their community. If your ever in that part of the country I encourage you to stop by and see what an animal center of the future looks like! But I warn you they have alot of really cute cats and dogs so it will be hard not to take at least one home with you!