Helsinki Humane Society HESY ry

About HESY
Contact information
Getting a pet from HESY
Donations
Volunteering
Become a member

HESY

Helsinki Humane Society HESY (The Helsinki Society for Animal Protection) aims to protect all animals to the best of our abilities. We focus on providing aid to homeless animals. In the last 20 years, we have taken approximately 30 000 homeless animals into our care and found new homes for them. Our no-kill animal shelter (HESY Centre) cares for and rehomes hundreds of homeless pets every year. Furthermore, we give advice on animal protection and animal care.
Our society opposes animal abuse, which can be found in factory farming, fur farming, hunting, animal testing, circuses, entertainment and other areas. Our society honours our worthy traditions and only acts by lawful means.
HESY also maintains an animal cemetery, located in Helsinki Central Park.

Contact information

HESY Centre (HESY-keskus)
Address: Muonamiehentie 7, 00390 Helsinki.
Email: hesy [a] hesy.fi

We assist in all matters concerning lost animals and animal protection. You can call our helpline on 09 5420 0100, Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 16:00.

Opening Hours

Mon-Fri from 9:00 to 17:00
Sat from 10:00 to 14:00
Sun closed

Animal Premises: Tue & Thu from 16:00 to 19:00.

Getting a pet from HESY

Interested in opening your heart and home to a pet of your own through HESY? You can find the animals looking for forever homes on our website (hesy.fi -> Kotia etsivät eläimet). If you wish to offer a home to a HESY animal, start by filling out this online form. Please also acquaint yourself with the terms of our adoption agreement.

Before moving into their new home, all animals will undergo a veterinary inspection. Cats, dogs, rabbits, and other larger animals are microchipped and registered with Turvasiru.fi. In addition, they are vaccinated and dewormed. Adult cats, dogs, and rabbits are spayed and neutered. When adopting a kitten or puppy, you are required to bring them to the HESY veterinarian to be neutered by the age of 1 year.

Adoption fees for 2023 can be found here (in Finnish).

Please note that
* Most animals need animal company. HESY rehomes kittens in pairs or to homes that already have a cat. A HESY kitten cannot be an only cat.
* HESY cats must be indoor cats or be walked on a leash. They must not be allowed to roam freely.
* If you already have a cat at home, make sure your cat’s vaccinations are up to date.
* An animal acquired from HESY may not be re-homed without the society’s permission.

Donations

To support HESY and help homeless animals, you can make a donation:

* via MobilePay #53287

* via text message by texting [sum] HESY to 16588 (for example, by texting 10 HESY you donate 10 euros)

* by paying directly into our account:
IBAN: FI09 2001 1800 113063
Please remember to write “Donation” in the message field, or use the reference number 100586. If you wish to direct your donation to cats, use the reference number 100573. If you wish to direct your donation to dogs, use the reference number 100599.

Registered Charity No: RA/2020/755
Registered Charity No valid: 1.1.2021 onwards
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Volunteering

We would not be able to do what we do without our volunteers! HESY needs help in all kinds of tasks, whether it be at fundraising events or in the day-to-day running of the organisation. No matter what your skills or talents are, we appreciate any time that you are willing to give.

If you would like to start volunteering for HESY, simply send an email to hesy[a]hesy.fi. Please note that at least some Finnish language skills are needed when interacting with the public.

We care very much about the safety of our volunteers, but unfortunately they are not covered by our insurance policy. For this reason, if you wish to volunteer for any task involving animals, we strongly recommend that you take out insurance which covers recreational accidents (if you don’t have it already).
We currently need volunteers in the following areas:

Human friends
Many of our cats have had either bad experiences with humans, or have had virtually no human contact at all. To help scaredy cats realise people are not dangerous – which really helps with their chances of adoption – human friends spend time with the cats to show that nothing awful will happen. This typically involves simply sitting in the cats’ parlour for an hour: you can browse your mobile or read or knit or whatever you like whilst there! We strongly recommend that volunteers have vaccinations up to date and recreational accident insurance, in case any injuries occur.

Baking Circle
The Animal Rescue Centre occasionally hosts public events which showcase its activities. They also organise more general animal-themed events. At these events, homemade pastries are available for guests to purchase, with the proceeds going towards the shelter’s activities. If you can bake up a storm, consider joining our baking circle!

Event Planning
The Animal Rescue Centre occasionally hosts public events which showcase its activities. They also organise more general animal-themed events. At these events, homemade pastries are available for guests to purchase, with the proceeds going towards the shelter’s activities. Volunteers can help organise the event, serve in the cafeteria, make coffee, or sell raffle tickets. We also welcome event ideas or suggestions for programme items!

Calling All Professionals!
Do you have skills in copywriting, layout design, translation, photography, marketing, or advertising? Maybe you’re a student or a professional in law, biology, or veterinary science? HESY is always on the lookout for volunteers who are willing to lend us their professional expertise. If you’re a specialist in communications, we would love your help in creating the magazine and various campaigns. We would also greatly appreciate the advice of experts in law and zoology when it comes to difficult animal welfare issues and drafting statements.

Catching Outdoor Cats
This usually takes place in the evenings and at night. When it’s cold outside, the trap needs to be checked at least once an hour, but this can be done less frequently in warmer weather. Volunteers must have their own car for the transport of any cats which have been successfully caught. Cats are often quite good at avoiding capture, so volunteers will need lots of patience! However, they must be caught so that we can help them, and HESY does not have enough paid employees to take care of this task on their own. So, if you could help us out – even if it’s just in your own backyard – please let us know! For this task, we strongly recommend that volunteers have recreational accident insurance, in case any injuries occur.

Transporting Animals
We transport any stray pets found in the Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi areas to the official shelter in Viikki, and to HESY’s own shelter for animals found in the Siuntio area. We need help in transporting these animals on a regular basis, especially during the summertime. Volunteer drivers must have their own car. We can provide pet carriers if needed. We also strongly recommend that volunteers have recreational accident insurance, in case any injuries occur.

If you live in the metropolitan area, are 18 years or older, and would like to help, please send us an email detailing any tasks you are interested in. We will contact you as soon as possible. Please also feel free to visit HESY Centre and get to know our activities onsite!
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Become a Member

You can support us by becoming a member. The annual membership fee is 25 €. If you want to become a lifetime member, the fee is 375 € (annual fee x 15).
Membership fees help us cover the costs of caring for homeless animals. It takes about one million euros a year to run the HESY Centre.
Having a large number of members is beneficial in other ways, too. For example, when new laws regarding the prevention of cruelty to animals are being created, legislators are more likely to listen to organisations with large memberships.
As a member, you will receive our HESY magazine (published in Finnish only) twice a year.
If you would like to become a member, please fill out the membership form here (available only in Finnish). If you can’t navigate the Finnish form, send a message to hesy [a] hesy.fi and we will help you out!

Rules of Helsingin eläinsuojeluyhdistys HESY (available only in Finnish).