For Ellen Carroll, the San Francisco SPCA is a Family Legacy

As we reflect on the San Francisco SPCA’s 155-year history, few people are more closely connected to our legacy than Ellen Carroll. Ellen is a Legacy Society and Sido Pet Protection Program member and a former volunteer. She’s also the niece of Dr. Richard Stowe, SF SPCA Chief Veterinarian who joined the organization in 1942 and retired in 1982.

In the years Dr. Stowe led veterinary services, he helped refine best practices, served as president of the California Veterinary Medical Association, and oversaw the opening of our 16th Street hospital. “At the time, the new SF SPCA hospital was state of the art,” Ellen said of her uncle’s work on the facility. “He was very proud to show it off.”

Ellen remembers repeated visits to the San Francisco SPCA in the 1950s and 60s. “My uncle was on call nights and weekends,” she said, “so he and my aunt lived there in an apartment up above the hospital. I would visit them a lot. I’ll always remember him in his vet coat with a dog, up on the roof.”

Ellen recently toured our brand-new Community Veterinary Clinic, which opened this past September in the city’s Excelsior neighborhood. She was especially impressed by our progress in making veterinary care more affordable and accessible in San Francisco.

“I think my uncle would be very pleased by the growth of the organization,” she said; “to see how it’s serving so many communities in so many ways.”

On her tour, Ellen met Dr. Jena Valdez, our current Chief Medical Officer. “She shares the same love of animals my uncle had. He really did love the animals he worked with,” she said.

Joining the San Francisco SPCA Legacy Society goes a long way in securing a better future for our animals, Ellen believes. “SF SPCA is the gold standard of shelter practice. You get so much bang for your buck with outreach, advocacy, legislation, education, and low-cost services within the city. If you love animals, this is the place to be.”

To extend your legacy of love for animals like Ellen did, contact Director of Planned Giving June Hom at (415) 430-3251 or jhom@sfspca.org today.