Tag: Pet Resource Center

Last Litter: An Important (and Adorable!) Community Resource

Posted on by Maddie Cushing
Four kittens sit on a rainbow blanket against a white backdrop promoting the Last Litter program.

Have you heard of the Humane Society of Utah’s Last Litter program? This program was designed for pet guardians who need help getting their mother pet spayed and rehoming her final litter of puppies or kittens.

A Last Litter kitten peers out from inside a blanket fort. Only their eyes and nose are visible.

The Origins of Last Litter

HSU created the Last Litter program in 2021 after seeing an influx of kittens in the community. The program was later opened to puppies in 2023.

“We started our Last Litter program out of a deep respect for mama cats and dogs and the people who love them, but who were unable to access spay services to prevent unintentional breeding,” said Juli Ulvestad, HSU’s Pet Resource Center Director.

“The benefit we hadn’t planned on is that the program has drawn litters of puppies and kittens to HSU who otherwise may have been given away without vaccination or spay/neuter themselves, so their guardian can take advantage of the free spay for mama.  This means those puppies and kittens won’t ever have an accidental litter themselves and increases the impact of this program exponentially.”

Two kittens pose against a white backdrop promoting Last Litter. One cat is tortoiseshell, and the other is a brown tabby.

How It Works

The first step for pet guardians signing up for Last Litter is to fill out an application on our website. A $30 deposit towards the $100 intake fee is required to hold an appointment. Program requirements to be aware of include…

  • Kittens in a qualifying litter must be between 2 and 5 months old and weigh at least 2 lbs.
  • Puppies in a qualifying litter must be between 2 and 4 months old and weigh at least 2 lbs.
  • The mother pet must be sufficiently healthy for surgery and safely handleable for staff
  • Qualifying pets must be owned pets rather than stray or community pets

On the morning of the Last Litter appointment, pet guardians drop their mother pet off at our clinic for her spay procedure. In the afternoon, pet guardians should bring her last litter to our Admissions Department for intake into HSU’s care. Then, mama can go home with her human family, and her puppies or kittens will be prepped for adoption!

Although Last Litter is for owned pets, The Humane Society of Utah also has options for community cat caregivers. CATNIP is HSU’s TNR (trap, neuter, return) program, created to serve free-roaming cats in the area. You can learn more about CATNIP and schedule an appointment on our website.

“We wanted to figure out a way to address overpopulation concerns while providing services for the mother pet and current litter,” said Amber Henry, HSU’s Senior Manager of Admissions and Pet Resources. “Last Litter has continued to grow year to year, and we are excited with how popular it has been!”

What’s in a Name? Pet Resource Center: Part 2

Posted on by Guinn

In our last blog post entitled ‘What’s in a Name? Pet Resource Center’, we explained why we’re no longer referring to ourselves as an “animal shelter” and are now calling ourselves a “Pet Resource Center.” This follow-up post will expand on why the Humane Society of Utah has adopted this new model by showcasing the educational services we provide through behavior and humane education.

Humane Education

At HSU, we believe that educating younger generations is the key to ensuring better lives for animals in the future. We support this belief by providing education sessions for schools and community groups at no cost. Our colorful and thought-provoking presentations are for youth from preschool to senior high. We cover age-appropriate topics from basic pet care to complex ethical and moral issues. No matter the age group, participants are taught the importance of proper pet care, spaying/neutering to control the pet population, choosing adoption first, and how to appropriately interact with animals. Teachers can schedule field trips to our shelter to meet and learn about our humane education animals and tour our center. 

Young Boy in Kitty City


HSU also offers a H.E.R.O. Summer, Fall, and Spring Camp for children ages first through sixth grade at our Pet Resource Center. During a typical day at our week-long H.E.R.O. (Humane Educators Reaching Out) Camp, children participate in age-appropriate humane education workshops, presentations, games, and more. Workshops focus on different types of animals each day, many with visitors – two-legged, four-legged, finned, and feathered – from other animal welfare groups in Utah. Our education services are in constant demand throughout the Wasatch Front and beyond. In 2021, our Humane Education Program reached 10,226 children – a 37% increase from 2020.

Behavior and Training

Since many pet guardians experience behavioral issues that can create challenging problems and these frustrations can lead guardians to consider rehoming their pet, our Pet Resource Center offers adopters the opportunity to meet with our certified trainers at no cost. 

Dog training class at Humane Society of Utah

Our behavior staff are all certified trainers and regularly participate in continuing education to ensure they are familiar with the latest understanding and best practices on animal behavior. Our trainers are committed to a behavior program based on positive reinforcement and only use humane training techniques utilizing evidence-based learning theories. We know that committing to positive reinforcement helps us build trusting relationships with animals while effectively meeting our training goals. And we feel it is our responsibility to provide the most effective training options for our community.