Jennifer Potter, SHRM - CP’s Post

I volunteer in animal rescue. Along with fostering, I spend over $2k a year caring for a local colony (not including spay/neuter and vet fees). I am one of many but we can only do so much. Some animals die in abusive homes, some on the streets, and some in shelters. A lucky few are adopted. If you own a business, partner with your local shelters. Cats are great pest control and hey, donations are a tax deduction. Like to be active? Take a shelter dog out for your run. Bake some dog treats. Craft a few toys. Hell, give those carrots you bought for Santa's reindeer to some real, hungry animals. There are more animals in need of homes than there are people wanting to adopt. If you do nothing else, please get your pets fixed and encourage those you know to do the same. You will save so many lives by doing so. #animalwelfare #animalhealth #makeadifference #makeanimpact #foster #adoption #communityengagement #communitydevelopment

Today is National Rescue Dog Day. So what is the state of rescue today? In 2023, ~400,000 dogs & cats were killed in our nation's shelters. Including 30% more dogs than in 2022. That increase is both staggering & heartbreaking. And the shelter where I volunteer is at capacity for dogs. Thankfully there are specific things you can do to help save lives: - Adopt don't shop. This is the #1 thing you can do. When you buy from a breeder you perpetuate the cycle that animals are commodities & directly increase the number of animals who end up in shelters (and yes, even expensive breeds end up in shelters). - Spay or neuter your pets. This is the #2 thing you can do. If you're adopting your pet from a rescue or shelter, then you'll be good, since most, if not all, won't adopt out an intact animal. Plus, it's healthier for animals to be fixed 🙂 It's a win-win-win! - Get involved. You can adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, and/or educate others about the issues. Everyone can do something to directly help the animals. Just pick the best fit for your lifestyle! For me, it's volunteering every week at the local shelter. In 2016, 1 million dogs & cats were killed in our nation's shelters, so overall, we've made tremendous progress. Together we can save more lives. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! [Photo from Best Friends Animal Society.] #adoptdontshop #shelterpets #animalwelfare #animalrescue #SaveThemAll #NationalRescueDogDay

Helping Fiji’s Stray Dogs: A Call to Action 🐾 🌟 In Fiji, the stray dog population has surged due to pandemic-related challenges. With limited resources and overwhelmed vet clinics, these dogs face a crisis. But we can make a difference! Here’s how: Neutering Programs Support and promote neutering initiatives. By spaying and neutering stray dogs, we can control their numbers and prevent further overpopulation. Raise Awareness Share this post! Educate your friends and family about the issue. The more people know, the more likely we are to find solutions. Volunteer If you’re in Fiji, consider volunteering with local animal welfare organizations. Your time and effort can directly impact these dogs’ lives. Donate Even a small contribution can help. Donations to shelters and rescue groups provide food, medical care, and shelter for stray dogs. Advocate for Change Petition local authorities to allocate resources for stray dog management. Let’s create a safer, healthier environment for both dogs and humans. Remember, every action counts! Together, we can create a brighter future for Fiji’s furry friends. 🐶❤️🌏 #FijiDogs #AnimalWelfare #StrayDogCrisis

🐾 Exciting News: Making a Pawsitive Impact! 🐾 Hello LinkedIn community! 👋 If you need a break from professional content, take a moment for some heartwarming news. Did you know that Huskies, popularized by their sheer adorable goofiness and shows like Game of Thrones, often end up in shelters? They need exercise and patience, and sadly, many face neglect. Today, I'm thrilled to share uplifting news about the incredible work at Hoardin Huskies and Husky Halfway House Rescues. 🌟 Hoardin Huskies: Rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming neglected huskies, changing lives one at a time. With your support, thousands have found loving homes, but there's more work to do. 🏡 Husky Halfway House Rescues: A safe haven for 250 huskies, providing a stepping stone to forever homes. An independent initiative making a significant impact. 🙌 Gratitude: Thanks to dedicated rescues, volunteers, and supporters, but there's still much to achieve. 🌈 How You Can Help: Join the ongoing mission—donate, volunteer, spread awareness. Every contribution matters. 📣 Connect with Me: I can provide links for more info or connect you directly with these organizations to donate, volunteer, foster, or adopt. 🐾 Join the Cause: Passionate about animal welfare? Connect with me! Let's make a positive impact on these amazing huskies. 🐾💙 #HoardinHuskies #HuskyRescue #H3 #huskyhalfwayhouse #AnimalWelfare #MakingADifference #PawsForACause

Animal Shelters play a crucial role in our communities, providing care and hope for countless animals in need. Many are at capacity and need our help! Here are some meaningful ways you can support your local shelter: 🐾 **How to Support Your Local Animal Shelter** 🐾 1. **Adopt, Don’t Shop**: The most impactful way to help is by adopting a pet. You give a deserving animal a loving home and free up space for another animal in need. 2. **Volunteer Your Time**: Shelters often rely on volunteers to help with daily operations. Whether it's walking dogs, cleaning, or assisting with events, your time can make a big difference. 3. **Donate Supplies**: Shelters always need supplies like food, toys, blankets, and cleaning materials. Check with your local shelter to see what they need most. 4. **Monetary Donations**: Financial contributions help shelters cover medical costs, facility maintenance, and other essential services. Even small donations can have a big impact. 5. **Foster a Pet**: If you can’t commit to adoption, consider fostering. This temporary care can provide much-needed relief to overcrowded shelters and give animals a better chance at finding a permanent home. 6. **Spread the Word**: Use your social media platforms to raise awareness about the shelter, its needs, and the animals up for adoption. The more people know, the more help they can provide. 7. **Participate in Events**: Attend and support fundraising events organized by the shelter. These events are often critical to their operations and can be a fun way to contribute. 8. **Advocate for Animal Welfare**: Get involved in local advocacy efforts to improve conditions for animals and support policies that benefit shelters and their inhabitants. Your support, in any form, can make a significant impact on the lives of shelter animals. Together, we can ensure these wonderful creatures receive the care and love they deserve. 🐕❤️ #SupportLocalShelters #AnimalWelfare #AdoptDontShop #Volunteer #FosterPets #DonateToShelters #CommunitySupport

Just shy of the six week countdown to the Round the Clock Rescue Run I want to share (for myself at least) an unprecedented work selfie. Yes I am holding puppies in a baby carrier, as I worked flexibly (enormous thank you to Integrion Consulting and BHP for facilitating this) to be able to foster them until they were old enough to be adopted (there was a third running around somewhere in the background too). This unprecedented moment is as a result of unprecedented challenges facing the Dogs’ Refuge Home (DRH), Shenton Park (echoed at animal refuges globally) with: - Unprecedented numbers of surrenders due to the cost of living crisis. Last Sunday the DRH had ~200 dogs in its care and it managed to find the resources to accept an additional 23 puppies from rural Western Australia. - Unprecedented numbers of domestic animals not being sterilised, with unsterilised surrenders at the DRH increasing from ~44% to ~74% in the past five years. Did you know one unsterilised female dog and her unsterilised litters over a period of 6 years can produce 67,000 unplanned puppies! - Unprecedentedly low adoption to surrender rates. The DRH is a no kill shelter and the only way they can help more dogs is through adoptions. One of its beloved residents has been in the DRH’s care for more than 900 days! - Unprecedented operating expenses (as resources are needing to be spread even more thinly), which will need to be filled by the generosity of the community. - Unprecedented (I hope, but sadly I know I might have embellished the uniqueness of this tragedy) animal mistreatment, with puppies and expectant mum’s being left in rubbish bins with no way to escape unless found by strangers or local Rangers. The DRH has responded to circumstances like this twice in the last month! These ‘unprecedented’ factors are just some of the drivers motivating the Round the Clock Rescue Run, as Willie Richards and I try and raise crucial funds for the DRH. If you’re interested in getting involved as a Running Allie or Challenge Champion, please reach out, as ultimately the more legs this challenge grows, the more paws that can be supported 🐾 Follow 👉 @500kmplus @dogsrefugehome Donate now 👉 https://lnkd.in/gZGQsif8

I am calling EVERYONE OUT on this to do something about this. 7400 killings per day (that number was 5500 only 2 years ago). MORE details in the comment section. FYI EVERYONE! For almost 3 years I have offered 100's of broke animal rescues starving and CRYING for donations... yet they change NOTHING (the living definition of insanity) FREE fundraisers that will actually appeal/give back/REWARD the followers for supporting them growing monthly in revenue for the FOREVER! ALL rescues except 1 in Texas (where I orignially posted this note re: another dog being killed in a shelter) have refused my FREE help. Rescues foolishly believe they're making a difference (how, when 2 cats produce 420,000 kittens in only 7 years?), maybe it's ego, vanity... or just a complete lack of business common sense. 7400 cats and dogs are killed DAILY in US and Cdn. shelters alone, that's 2.7 MILLION annually... 1 every 10 seconds. What will YOU help ME do about this NOW? www.TessasLegacyCafe.com Only 2 years ago that number was 5500 per day. Rescues aren't even keeping up anymore. When they refuse to adapt to this new, permanent GLOBAL (it's not a Biden/Trump or Turdeau thing), the are choosing to FAIL these animals. FOLLOW MY PAGE HERE for the ONLY COLLECTIVE PLAN IN THE WORLD TO EMPTY THE SHELTERS. PUSH YOUR LOCAL RESCUES TO CONTACT ME, YES... YOU CONTACT THEM, SEND THEM TO ME. Not a single rescue out there is ADRESSING THE REAL ISSUE OF THE ANIMAL BIRTHRATE EXPLOSION. Less keyboarding, MORE doing by EVERYONE.

🐾 Have you ever thought about volunteering for an animal shelter, sanctuary, or rescue facility? We've all seen those commercials...you know the ones. The ones that feature animals who have been mistreated, abandoned, or ones who simply ran from home and got lost. If you have a dry eye after watching one of those ads, we need to find out if you actually have a beating heart in your chest. Truth is, it's easier to click away from something that's uncomfortable on TV than it is to try to do something about it in Real Life. It can be overwhelming when we try to think of the best ways to help. I've spoken to people who are involved in these facilities, and oftentimes, all they need from volunteers is just an extra set of hands to help with the animals while they're doing the heavy lifting. From feeding and grooming to playing and cuddling, these are the best - and most fulfilling - ways to make a difference in the lives of these little critters. 😍 Even better, some of these organizations have a Sleepover Program! What? A SLEEPOVER, you say? 🐶🐱 Volunteers have the chance to take one an adorable dog or cat home for a sleepover, giving these animals a taste of home life and extra love. Who doesn't wanna have a sleepover with a ball of furry cuteness? It's as good for our mental health as it is for theirs. 🤳 If this sounds great to you, reach out to local animal rescue and shelter organizations, and let them know you'd love to do something to help. They will love you forever. And you might just get licked. By an animal, I mean. 🌟 In The Meantime: Practical Ways You Can Help: Volunteer: Spend time with our animals and help with daily tasks. Sleepover Program: Take a dog or cat home for a night of love and comfort. Donate: Every bit helps us provide the best care for our animals. Adopt: Give a forever home to a deserving furry friend. Let’s continue to spread kindness and make a difference, one paw at a time. 🐾 💜 #VolunteerLife #AnimalSanctuary #FridayPSA #AnimalLovers #MakeADifference #SleepoverWithAPet #VoiceoverBusiness **This video is for Demo Purposes Only and does not represent an actual advertisement by any particular organization. Voiceover and Video Production: Rho Marsh Audio Produced by: Henry Willard

It's a staggering fact: nearly 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized annually due to financial constraints and abandonment. A number that hits the heart of animal lovers with a heavy thud. Broken down, that's 390,000 dogs, 530,000 cats whose owners couldn't afford their care, their lifestyles no longer accommodated in the pockets of their families. The San Diego Humane Society noted a 20% hike in lost pets not retrieved by owners - citing soaring costs and lack of housing as a reason. The aggressive rise in every day prices everywhere isn't just affecting us, but our four-legged friends too. Larger animals face the brunt, with euthanasia rates for dogs and horses on the rise. KC Pet Project, a Missouri shelter, were giving dogs away for free at 30 days due to high surrender rates. In a country where statistics report 78 million dogs and 85.8 million cats as part of our families, it's a bitter pill to swallow knowing 41% increase in abandoned dogs reported by New York City in 2023 alone. If you're thinking of pet ownership, consider adoption. You could help change the life of one of the 4.1 million adopted shelter animals annually. You can make a difference by donating to Giving4Pets.org where we are bridging the gap for families financially struggling to keep their family pets where they should be....home with their family and not in a shelter. #ShelterAnimals #AnimalRescue #AdoptDontShop #PetOwnership #AnimalWelfare #AnimalLovers #EndPetEuthanasia #AdoptionSavesLives #Support #Giving4Pets #ReachifyMe

As a person who has been very closely involved with pets and animal rescue, the one thing I hate hearing more than anything else is the term "kill shelter." It stigmatizes open-admission shelters and the people who work there, and it makes the difficult task of having to take in every single animal that comes through your doors even harder because nobody wants to volunteer at or donate to a "kill shelter." So many people say, with their noses in the air, "I would NEVER adopt from a KILL SHELTER!" Congratulations, you're part of the problem! If you're not adopting the pets, they're getting put to sleep! Stop it. In this week's Paws and Effect post, I ask the question, "Can we please stop calling them 'kill shelters'?" (post link in first comment) I'm looking for people to interview about working at open-admission shelters for my blog. I want to show people what does happen--both good and bad--and maybe provide my readers with some insight about why these shelters exist and why they do what they do. If you work or have worked at an open-admission shelter, I'd love to talk with you. I'm more than happy to keep you anonymous! I'm interested in learning about the daily life of workers and animals, the effects of local politics on your work and your shelter, how public-private shelter partnerships help your organization ... and more. This is absolutely NOT going to be a hit piece. I hope that if you read the post I've linked in the first comment, you'll understand where my heart lies with this issue. I want to educate and inform, and give voices to people whose voices are rarely heard, and my motto is "always lead with compassion." If you're interested in talking to me, please send me a DM or email me at janea at paws-and-effect dot com. #AnimalRescue #KillShelter #OpenAdmissionShelter #MunicipalShelter #NoKill2025 #PrivateShelter #RescuePartnerships