Humane Society Silicon Valley Receives $10M Multi-Year Investment

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) announced Tuesday that it has received a $10 million multi-year investment from Michelle Oates Detkin and Peter Detkin to expand access to veterinary care, especially for families impacted by economic challenges. This is the largest financial commitment that has been made to HSSV since its founding in 1929, the agency said.

With this lead gift, HSSV will launch the Wellness Waggin’ - a mobile veterinary clinic. The Wellness Waggin’ will allow HSSV to provide low-cost and no-cost veterinary care, prioritizing the local Silicon Valley communities that are home to families with the least financial resources. HSSV plans to seek additional funding to maintain this program for decades to come.

Michelle Oates Detkin said, “We want to help people through their pets, by keeping families together. It’s about pets and people — the human-animal bond and about preserving relationships that sustain people — particularly now, with the future so uncertain for many. Equity demands of us as a community that families, regardless of income, are offered the opportunity to experience the value that having a pet in their home can bring.”

HSSV will rename its Animal Community Center in the Detkins’ honor. New signage has been installed on the building and HSSV will formally unveil the Peter Detkin and Michelle Oates Detkin Animal Community Center at a community event celebrating the launch of the Wellness Waggin’, expansion of HSSV’s Access to Care programs, and Regional Rescue programs in November.

Peter Detkin added, “Bringing a pet into a home makes a family whole. We want to make and keep more families whole across this region. We also want HSSV to ensure that families or individuals with pets, regardless of economic means, can keep their pets healthy and receive the veterinary care they need to thrive so they can stay in the home with people who already love them.”

Michelle Oates Detkin is a retired attorney having worked in real estate law and in commercial law at Intel. Peter Detkin is the founder of Intellectual Ventures, and is a Managing Director at Sherpa Technology Group. He was previously Assistant General Counsel at Intel, and before that was a partner at the Wilson Sonsini law firm. He has served as a board member of HSSV since 2016. The couple have two adult children and reside in Los Altos Hills with their teenage son. Their family includes their adopted dog Chloe (an HSSV alum) and three cats including Joey and Danica (HSSV alums) and Blake.

HSSV is the nation’s first model shelter meeting 543 standard-of-care guidelines put forth by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and currently operates to a standard that few shelters can provide. In addition, the shelter provides a resource for the region to prioritize animal rescue. The newly named community center will continue to provide expansive medical support, adoption services, a spay/neuter program, and the leadership to eliminate euthanasia for healthy and treatable animals.

HSSV President Kurt Krukenberg added, “Across the community, families and individuals are facing unprecedented economic, social, and emotional challenges. Pets provide a unique pathway to promote equality and equity in daily life. Our shared efforts help make and keep families - humans and their animals - whole.”

When asked what it meant to have their name on the new Peter Detkin and Michelle Oates Detkin Animal Community Center in Milpitas, Michelle Oates Detkin added, “We accepted the honor of having our name on the building in the hopes it would inspire others to get involved. Our dream is that having a name on this building makes it a more personal, more accessible, and more welcoming center for the community. The joy of pet ownership should be available to everyone who wants to welcome a pet into their home.”