Adorable, adoptable puppies and kittens take over San Francisco Macy's windows

Image courtesy of SFSPCA. 

Editor's note: This article was updated for the 2022 holiday season

For more than 30 years, Macy’s Union Square and the San Francisco SPCA have been an important part of San Francisco’s holiday experience. 

From late November through the holiday season, thousands of shoppers and holiday revelers witness a whole lot of cuteness inside Macy’s decorated windows in the form of adoptable kittens and puppies. The animals can’t help themselves as they tumble and paw for your attention, your donations, and the prospect of a new home. 

Image courtesy of Yelp/Joanna T. 

The animals are on view at the store from noon to 5 pm, Thursdays through Saturdays until January 1. 

The tradition returns for the first time since 2019, when it was shuttered by the COVID pandemic. Since Macy's Holiday Windows began, more than 10,000 dogs and cats have been adopted, and donations collected help support the SF SPCA’s life-saving services. As in years past, the goal for staff and volunteers is to attract shoppers and find worthy homes for the hundreds of adoptable animals available.

Image courtesy of SFGATE/Charles Russo. 

Each Christmas window display is a project nearly a year in the making as plans for the next year's windows begin in January, almost immediately after the windows are taken down. It takes a dedicated team of more than 250 of Santa’s helpers to bring the windows to life, including Macy’s display artists, graphic artists, sculptural artists, animators, carpenters, electricians, and music and sound experts. The windows are temperature-controlled and fitted with comfortable furnishings to ensure that the pets stay happy, healthy, and relaxed the entire time. 

Image courtesy of SFGATE/Charles Russo.

Each window showcases 24 animals every day. That way, there are two animals in every window and six pairs in the adoption room. If you see an animal you would like to get to know, notify a volunteer or go inside the department store and visit the agency’s pop-up adoption center on the main floor.

Image courtesy of SFGATE/Charles Russo. 

If you're looking for an alternative way to help, you can bring supplies, such as food and toys, to one of the drop-off boxes on the eighth floor at Macy's Backstage. 

If you can't make it to Macy's in person, the SPCA hosts a livestreams of the adorable, adoptable animals on its website here. 

Have you visited Macy's windows this year? 

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