Stevie D.’s Post

A lot of the people who felt the urge to adopt a dog during the pandemic are now saying er, actually, nevermind—and it’s throwing shelters into crisis. Bloomberg reported that the number of stray dogs in US shelters has increased by 22% since 2021, per data from the Shelter Animals Count database. And it’s not just older dogs losing their homes—shelter workers say they’re seeing more puppies, too. Worst of all, canine deaths in shelters are up 27% from last year and 78% from 2021 as they deal with overcrowding. Experts attribute the crisis to return-to-office mandates, the rising costs of petcare, and the end of pandemic-era eviction restrictions that are allowing landlords to enforce pet policies.

The shelter crisis is human made, and the only way it will be resolved is by communities coming together to fix it. 1) #adoptdontshop. 2) Spay and neuter your pets. Shelters have seen an uptick in Frenchies, doodles, and other designer dogs. Puppies are euthanized for space. Breeding your pets is not the easy moneymaker you think it is. And oops litters aren't cute. 2) If you have a less predictable schedule, consider fostering. 3) If you own property, let your tenants have pets or foster 4) If you can't foster, shelters are always looking for volunteers to help provide enrichment and socialization for their wards. 5) If you have a employee matching program for donations, double your impact with a local rescue saving dogs from euthanasia 6) Go to city and town council meetings to ask that breeding license issuance be suspended and spay/neuter mandates be introduced and enforced. Too many adoptable dogs are getting put down to justify continuing to issue breeding licenses. And folks regularly disregard spay and neuter laws in their community.

Want to hear a statistic that might blow your mind? If 0.18% of Dorchester County residents adopted an animal from Dorchester Paws - our kennels would be empty. Just 0.18% of our community, and no animal would be without a warm bed to sleep tonight. While this number may seem small, it’s the difference maker for each of the 302 shelter residents in our care, like Junie. This number could rewrite the story of loneliness and longing for 2 year old lovable Junie. It’s the critical number for triumph in animal welfare and victory for each and every animal. 0.18% Each adoption is not merely a statistic but a commitment to providing loving homes and remaining a nurturing environment for the many souls in need. Together, we can continue to make a tangible difference in the lives of so many and expand our capacity to care for even more in the future. Whether you’re able to open your home and heart through adoption, fostering, or you know 3 to 5 people who might be - our community can rally around homeless animals and ensure bright futures for them. Stop in from 12p-5p to potentially meet your new best friend!

January is Unchain Your Dog Month, a time when we should increase our awareness of the struggles of dogs who are kept tied up outside in the cold. Dogs are entitled to warmth, comfort, and companionship, just like any other family member. Bringing them inside is the kindest and safest thing we can do for them. There are many ways you can help this month, including talking to your neighbors who keep their dogs tied outside. Explain the dangers of exposing dogs to cold weather and offer resources. Another way to help is by advocating for change. Contact your local legislators and animal welfare organizations such as the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) and express your support for stricter laws against chaining dogs and promoting responsible pet ownership. You can also donate, volunteer or foster dogs that have been neglected or abused by organizations that are working to rescue and rehome them. Lastly, you can spread awareness on social media by sharing information about Unchain a Dog Month and the importance of bringing dogs inside. Let us all work together to achieve a world where dogs are treated with the respect, kindness, and love they deserve. Don't forget to use the hashtags #NoMoreChains, #UnchainADog, #FreeThePaws, #DogsDeserveBetter, #BringThemInside, #EndChainingNow, #Compassion4Canines, and #WarmthForWoofers when sharing your posts.

Embrace the Love – Support Stray Animals 🐾💕 Dear Animal Lovers, let's come together to make a difference in the lives of our furry friends who are less fortunate. Stray animals need our support, care, and understanding just as much as our beloved pets. 1️⃣ Awareness: Educate ourselves and others about the plight of stray animals and the importance of responsible pet ownership. 2️⃣ Adoption: Consider giving a loving home to a stray animal in need. Adoption saves lives and creates a bond that lasts a lifetime. 3️⃣ Support: Donate to or volunteer with local shelters and rescue organizations working tirelessly to provide care for these animals. 4️⃣ Advocacy: Use your voice to advocate for better animal welfare laws and policies. 5️⃣ Compassion: If you can't provide a home, remember to show kindness and avoid causing harm. 📣 Let's unite to create a world where every animal is treated with love and respect. Share this post and encourage others to join our mission. #StrayAnimalsMatter #AdoptDontShop #PetLoversUnite #AnimalWelfare

We can do better

UPDATE: I should have clarified that this is to spotlight individuals who are responding to today’s crisis - so they’re “just citizens” as opposed to pros with many years of experience in the field. So far. Things are tough right now in the world of animal welfare – not the worst they’ve ever been by far, but not great. Animals and people need help. They need more fosters, adopters, supporters. Happily, individuals are stepping up to help. They aren’t just working with orgs that already exist; they’re starting their own projects to help fill the niches that exist. They’re leading with their hearts to help pets, which is a crucial part of the ecosystem of saving lives. That’s why I want to write about them for a well-known magazine within the industry. I have a lead or two on phenomenal people who are helping find homes for pets – or keep pets with their families. I need more than the leads I’ve gotten already, however. Do you know someone who has started their own nonprofit to help animals? Who was motivated by the clear needs to devote their time and energy to the cause? Maybe YOU are that person and you have a cool project you’d like to talk about. If so, please pass this along and/or send me a DM! I know there are loads of cool things going on out there and I look forward to hearing about them!

January is Unchain a Dog Month, a time when we should increase our awareness of the struggles of dogs who are kept tied up outside in the cold. Dogs are entitled to warmth, comfort, and companionship, just like any other family member. Bringing them inside is the kindest and safest thing we can do for them. There are many ways you can help this month, including talking to your neighbors who keep their dogs tied outside. Explain the dangers of exposing dogs to cold weather and offer resources. If your neighbors are receptive, you can reach out to Barrio Dogs, and we will do our best to provide care for their dogs. Another way to help is by advocating for change. Contact your local legislators and animal welfare organizations such as Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) and express your support for stricter laws against chaining dogs and promoting responsible pet ownership. You can also donate, volunteer or foster dogs that have been neglected or abused by organizations that are working to rescue and rehome them. Lastly, you can spread awareness on social media by sharing information about Unchain a Dog Month and the importance of bringing dogs inside. Let us all work together to achieve a world where dogs are treated with the respect, kindness, and love they deserve. Don't forget to use the hashtags #NoMoreChains, #UnchainADog, #FreeThePaws, #DogsDeserveBetter, #BringThemInside, #EndChainingNow, #Compassion4Canines, and #WarmthForWoofers when sharing your posts. #BarrioDogs

The data showing that 1 out of 3 pets are homeless hit me especially hard this week as my sweet baby rescue pup just crossed the rainbow bridge. In the rescue community, there is a common phrase "who rescued who," which was infinitely true in my case with how much love and joy my little guy brought to us. He was rescued off of the streets of LA (which had a high kill rate at the time due to the number of pets in shelters) and transported by rescue organizations to Seattle, where I met him at an adoption fair. It is easy to get discouraged when working in animal rescue, but being able to understand the facts and data to address pet homelessness at a large scale is immensely motivating. The three main causes are: 1) Pet–friendly housing limitations: Almost 1 in 5 people that are considering giving up their cat or dog in the near future say it’s because they are moving and cannot take their pet with them. And almost half of those who have re-homed a pet in the past did so for that reason. 2) Pet ownership challenges: Globally, around 15% of pet owners are considering giving up their pet in the next 12 months.  A number of factors contribute, with personal health and fitness challenges to still be able to care for a pet being the number one reason globally, housing related factors coming second, and time pressure to be able to look after a pet being the third most common reason. Other factors like behavior, family allergies and cost also appear in the data. 3) Stemming homeless population increase: A surprising number of people lose their pet, and often don’t get reunited. Almost half of people surveyed said they had lost a pet in the past, and of those almost 60% were never found by their owners.  Globally, pet owners report that only ~50% of owned dogs and ~60% of cats are sterilized, meaning the remainder, if allowed to reproduce unchecked, can result in unplanned litters, exacerbating the problem.  Understanding the causes helps us address the causes vs. the symptoms. Very proud that Mars is engaged and leading this work (along with the amazing work that Mars Veterinary Health does for the pets once you have them). 🐕 🐶 🐈 ❤️ #proudlymars #adoptdontshop #whorescuedwho #doggyrescue #animalrescue #abetterworldforpets #pawsitiveinfluence Humane Society International Angels Among Us Pet Rescue

Thank you Loic Moutault and Jeffrey Flocken for the Mars State Of Homelessness Project. As an animal mad household and FMCG person, it is very close to my heart. In fact, I sponsor the brilliant Niall Harbison at HappyDoggo.com fixing the global street dog problem and … today ‘Bee’ and ‘Siren’ two rescued kittens from Dubai with sight problems are joining our family thanks to the power of the equally brilliant Gita and Rowena West (Zebratini). You’ll be glad to hear they’re Royal Canin kitties! 🐈⬛ 🐈 🗞️ For Cat and Dog mums and dads everywhere: Luq Niazi, Colm O'Brien, Yagnesh (Yagi) Odhavji, Antoine P., Alex Bauer, Lesley Salmon, John Bennett, Kate Jones, Chris Norris, Andrea Parry-Clarke, John Crampton, Liz Tinlin, Petrina Needham, Elizabeth Mircica, Natalie Johnson … The global pet care market is fascinating. I love it. From $208billion in 2020 to $223billion in 2021 and projected to grow to $326billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.6%. It is a vibrant sector, with start-ups like Bella & Duke (subscription raw food), Tractive (which we use to track our naughty Airedales), Tailwise (responsible breeding) or BorrowMyDoggy (kinda self explanatory), the sector is dominated by the Big Three including Mars and their premium Royal Canin business. Within the pet category, the fastest growing areas are services (like grooming or veterinary which Mars are sensibly growing) and supplements (with CBD the fastest (if you meet ‪Charlie-Girl-“Rat-Dog”, you’ll understand)). More: https://lnkd.in/eUZDrdGe, https://lnkd.in/epfC9jds IBM is proud to work extensively with the world’s leading pet food companies running their e-commerce, supporting their data, providing AI, analytics and insight, driving their business processes enabled by salesforce and SAP and more. #YouCantBeWhatYouCantSee #FMCG #ConsumerGoods #Retail #RethinkRetail #RethinkRetailTopExpert IBM RETHINK Retail #ABetterWorldForPets