Diana Lopez’s Post

Did you know of the 4.76 million cats and dogs that entered U.S. shelters in 2023, 3.97 million were saved? Shelter intake in 2024 is at an all-time high, #foster homes are locked down with adoptable pets, adoptions have slowed down, and the rescue world is facing challenges we are all trying to navigate to save as many as us animal lovers can. If you have considered #volunteering and/or #fostering now is the time. Whatever free time or contributions you can make, you are making a difference and saving a life. Check out our website to learn more about how you can get involved: https://lnkd.in/eHxGCHjN Featuring adoptable da Vinci, an adorable #sharpei mix #puppy looking for a home of his own. 🩵 Adopt: https://lnkd.in/eRcUDfcm

Listen to My Dog is My Home's Founder, Christine Kim, speak with The Animal Welfare Junction's Dr. G on their latest episode, "Homelessness, Pets, and the PUPP Act!" Thank you to Dr. G and the team with the Animal Welfare Junction Podcast for the opportunity to share and shine light on these very important topics. https://lnkd.in/g5T2uuH7

The Animal Welfare Junction Episode 34: Homelessness, Pets, and the PUPP Act with guest Christine Kim Homelessness is a serious crisis in the United States, with the most recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development dated December 2022 finding over 580,000 unhoused people on a single night in January of 2022. It is a sad reality that pet ownership by housing-insecure individuals and families is a significant obstacle to sheltering and housing. The lack of affordable co-sheltering facilities and pet-friendly affordable housing can be the factor that keeps someone at risk in the streets. From their website: "My Dog Is My Home's mission is to increase access to shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness with companion animals. By securing their ability to maintain their most important relationships and find adequate shelter, we ensure every family’s right to build a home." Founder Christine Kim shares with us the story of My Dog is My Home, how the organization helps communities with co-sheltering and affordable housing initiatives, and her advocacy work with the Providing for Unhoused People with Pets (PUPP) Act, a federal bill to provide financial assistance to homeless service programs, shelters, and housing. You can listen on our website or by searching for The Animal Welfare Junction on your preferred podcast service provider. If you like our content, you can help spread our message by rating and sharing. Together we can make a difference for the people and animals in our communities. #homelessness #affordablehousing #cosheltering #pets #socialjustice #socialwork #veterinarysocialwork #animalwelfare #fairhousing #animalwelfarejunction #animalwelfarejunctionpodcast https://lnkd.in/gv2MqigQ

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗽 - 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆, and we want to shout it from the rooftops, so please share this post with others!📣🐾 This day is all about raising awareness for the incredible animals waiting in shelters for their forever families. By adopting instead of shopping for a pet, you're not just giving a deserving furry friend a second chance - you're literally saving a life. The reality is that in 2023, according to Shelter Animals Count (https://bit.ly/3wdLrCe), approximately 6.5 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠, and only around half get adopted. The others? Well, we don't like to think about it. 💔 But YOU can change those heartbreaking odds! Adopting from your local shelter, humane society, or rescue group is one of the most impactful things you can do to combat pet overpopulation and homelessness. We've written & hosted some amazing articles & webinar about saving lives, overpopulation and kitten basics - check out the links below! 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 - https://bit.ly/4a01mBX 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: 𝗖𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - https://bit.ly/3WmvMLt 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝟭 - https://bit.ly/3wiTsFZ Invite others to join us by celebrating Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. 🐶🐱 If you've recently adopted, share your pictures in the comments! #KittenSeason #FosterPets #SpreadLoveAndPawsitivity #kittenrescue #kittenlife #rescuekitten #kittenmom #kittenlove #kittensofinstagram #savekittens #fostering #fosterkittens #savemorekittens #nationalkittencoalition #adoptashelterpetday

🐾 Exciting News! 🐾 For many experiencing homelessness, their pets are a crucial source of companionship and comfort. However, accessing veterinary care and pet-friendly accommodations can be extremely challenging while living on the streets. That's why StreetLink , StreetVet & Street Paws are joining forces to ensure the wellbeing of both homeless individuals living on the streets and their animal companions. Together, we can ensure that no person or pet is left behind on the path out of homelessness and towards stability. For more information on how to get involved or to learn about reporting rough sleeping effectively, please visit thestreetlink.org.uk . #HomelessPets #PetRescue

It’s important that we take notice - none of these top three reasons are that there are too many animals or that people don’t care about their pets. Many of the reasons that pets end up homeless are because people struggle - whether it be in finding affordable housing, or being able to provide vet care, or even that found pets are not being reunited with their families. These are all challenges that can only be combatted by working on the people aspect. If we can improve the people welfare side of things, we’ll improve the animal side too.

Regrettably, we have noticed that the intake increase pattern is accompanied a decrease in return-to-owner rates and an increase in adoption returns, resulting in a heavy strain on shelter resources and capacity. Our data analysis found that animal behavior is one the main reasons for these trends. Given this perspective, investing in volunteer and staff training for animal behavior modification, while also delivering high-quality behavioral support to adopters and community pet owners, proves instrumental in proactively preventing shelter admittance and minimizing returns. If you have ideas, resources, or would like to contribute in any way, please reach out. Together, we can navigate these challenges and continue to provide the best care for our four-legged friends. #ShelterUpdate #CommunitySupport #AnimalWelfare

A shocking statistic out of the US. If anyone needed reminding that the companion animal adoption boom is over. Anyone breeding puppies right now should be taking note, and taking responsibility that they have adopters lined up. It is a tragedy how many animals are in the animal shelter system (and how much time and energy good people spend on these animals) because of a myriad of issues. Issues can include lack of thought at adoption, unethical (over)breeding, lack of desexing, lack of identification, or poor socialisation which means animals are relinquished to shelters. But let's try and give a positive spin! What a great opportunity to raise awareness about how to adopt, to advocate for better standards of breeding, to encourage desexing and microchipping and to endorse better training. Little by little, we aim to improve the culture of pet 'ownership' and raise the standard of animals lives so that they all live A Good Life. Let's hope for a positive 2024!!

Homes for Orphaned Pets Exist (H.O.P.E.) is a not-for-profit organization of animal lovers from Saratoga and surrounding counties who are dedicated to assisting animals whose owners have passed away or can no longer keep them. Some of the pets are surrendered directly to H.O.P.E. but others come from various local rescues or shelters which are at capacity. Many are senior dogs and cats or have special needs. H.O.P.E. gives these homeless pets a second chance for a wonderful life; to be part of a family, to be a therapy pet or just to be someone’s best friend. The goal of H.O.P.E. is to find suitable adopters who will provide these pets with a lifelong commitment of love and care.