Miss Evelyn Sweitzer founded the HSCA when she became concerned about the conditions at the city pound. She held a series of meetings to organize other concerned citizens. The group eventually closed the pound and opened the Hammond Humane Society in December 1941.

The original building was a three-car garage that was purchased for $412 in November of 1941. A variety of additions were constructed over time to enlarge the building located on Columbia Avenue in Hammond. In the late 1990s it became apparent that the building on Columbia Avenue could no longer be maintained. The shelter on 45th Street in Munster opened in August of 2001. In October of 2009, the HSCA Intake Center opened on Calumet Avenue to house sick and newly admitted animals.