Animal welfare and adoption organizations are putting out desperate pleas for help in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. The challenges are daunting... Find resources for companion animal shelters and rescue organizations.
As you’ve probably seen, animal welfare organizations are putting out
desperate pleas for help in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. The challenges
are daunting. Shelters have shut their doors to the public. Adoption events
have been cancelled. The number of animals being surrendered is increasing
in some locations due to people getting sick or out of misplaced fear that
an animal could transmit the virus. Cleaning supplies are hard to find.
Critical fundraising events have been cancelled.
While the struggle is real, there is also hope. Technology is being use in
new and creative ways, including virtual meet-and-greets and paperless
adoption contracts. Many animal welfare organizations are seeing an
unprecedented increase in foster applications. According to a recent NY
Times story, Animal Care Centers of NYC put a call out last week to fill 200
foster slots and received 2,000 applications. In the Washington, DC metro
area, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue had to shut down all large adoption events,
which had been their main source of adoptions for the past 10+ years.
Incredibly, last Sunday they tallied 54 adoptions in a single day—a new
record despite the shutdown.
There is much to be learned from these recent
successes and the adaptations we have all had to make in response to
COVID-19.
Maddie’s® Fund has collected emergency protocols, shelter kits,
communications and marketing guides, videos, sample press releases, and more
from an array of national, regional and local experts. If you work with an
animal welfare organization, we urge you to check out these resources to
help manage the current crisis. No doubt the coming days will present new
hurdles but all of us at ASI believe we are stronger when we work together
and learn from one another.
Maddie's Fund - COVID-19 and Emergency Foster Care Resources
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