Passionate Grant Writers

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Every 4 seconds another companion pet enters a shelter/rescue in theUnited States. That is 21,600 pets per day; 151,200 pets per week and 7.8 million pets per year. Nearly, 50% of the companion pets that enter the rescues and shelters never find a new home and sadly are euthanized. Five out of 10 dogs are killed in shelters; 7 out of 10 cats are also killed. Of the many millions of dogs and cats surrendered to shelters or abandoned each year in the United States, approximately one million + surrenders/abandonments were due to the owner’s financial inability to care for their pets, this includes feeding and providing basic veterinary care.

Based on our conversations with Rescues and Shelters, the time to help Pet Parents that have fallen on financial hard time’s starts with the initial call to the rescue/shelter. One of the first questions that need to be asked is the reason for the surrender. If the answer is because the owner must choose between feeding and/or caring for themselves versus taking care of the animal, the answer becomes a question a quality of life for the owner and the pet. Many times, owners feel that because their animals are beloved, someone else will also appreciate the companionship of the animal not realizing that there is no guarantee that the animal would be adopted.

This is where I tell people the rubber meets the road so to speak. There are options and we need to educate all of the rescues and shelters to ask that very important question so that organizations such as Animal House Project can help to provide not only the necessary food but basic veterinary care thus ensuring that these beloved companion pets stay at home with the families that love and cherish them. My fervent hope is that that all pets can live as ours do, in a loving, forever home with uncompromised care. By the time an owner brings their companion pets to the rescue/shelter they have already started the detachment process and it is extremely difficult to get them to change their mind even with the offer of assistance, that is why it is important to educate, educate and get the word out to organizations to insure that we stop the cycle before it starts.

So who are the clients of Animal House Project: the clients that we are seeing are senior citizens on fixed incomes; retired military veterans who are also living on fixed incomes; military vets that are returning home from service have companion pets to deal with medical issues and are not working and need help; families who are still facing a reduction in incomes due to layoffs and downsizing; and patients that are receiving medical treatment and having to choose between necessary medicines and food for their animals.

Poverty is and continues to be the #1 reason why the majority of our families feel the need to surrender their pet, despite the various organizations that can help. We need to educate and spread the word that organizations such as Animal House Project can help.

But we need the funding to help continue the Mission Statement and with that a Grant Writer who is passionate about keeping companion pets at home. This position is critical to the Mission Statement of the Pantry.