This East Bay community of 35,000 is surrounded by hills that perfectly reflect its name. But while some may view its location (23 miles east of San Francisco and 73 miles west of Sacramento) as merely “close to" (as in “close to” the City by the Bay as well as Napa and Sonoma wine country), Pleasant Hill holds plenty of dog-friendly appeal on its own.
Read more.Contra costa humane society
Founded in 1991, Contra Costa Humane Society (CCHS) works to improve and save the lives of animals in the county through a variety of successful programs, from low-cost spay-neuter assistance (SNAP) to the AniMeals program (a partnership with local food banks and Pet Food Express) to help people having hard times keep their pets, instead of having to give them up, by providing pet food to 450 needy families. CCHS also strives to educate people to foster compassion, responsibility and respect toward animals, with the goal of improving animals' quality of life and reducing euthanasia rates. Thanks to a grant from Maddie's Fund, CCHS, which doesn't operate a dog shelter (though it does operate the Kitty Corner adoption center in collaboration with Contra Costa Animal Services), has been able to launch a number of successful adoption initiatives, from its foster program, which pulls dogs from local shelters and gives them a safe haven till their adopters come along, to a re-homing service through which the humane society acts as a matchmaker between people who must give up their dog, and prospective adopters.
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