An announcement from Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) revealed that the organization has received a fresh investment from Michelle Oates Detkin and Peter Detkin. The investment, which will amount to $10 million over a span of years, will increase families’ ability to access veterinary care.
HSSV, located at 901 Ames Avenue in Milpitas, was established in 1929. The Detkins’ financial investment is the largest the animal shelter has received since its inception over nine decades ago. Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the shelter is deeply committed to animal welfare and working to deepen the human-animal connection. In 2017, HSSV became known as the first “model shelter” in the nation, by meeting all 543 guidelines of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.
The $10 million in funding will manifest in the form of a mobile veterinary clinic called The Wellness Waggin’, which will administer veterinary care at little to no cost, particularly to families facing economic challenges.
Meanwhile, HSSV’s Animal Community Center shall be renamed the Peter Detkin and Michelle Oates Detkin Animal Community Center (the unveiling of new signage shall take place at a public event held in November).
Peter Detkin has sat on HSSV’s board since 2016. The founder of Intellectual Ventures, he is also a Managing Director at Sherpa Technology Group. Michelle Oates Detkin worked as a real estate and commercial law attorney. The Detkins have both worked for Intel. They are the parents of three children and the owners of a variety of pets including HSSV alumni.
Said Michelle Oates Detkin in a press release, “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.”
