This past week the SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo, Florida raised over $150,000 as part of their Annual Day of Giving. Their efforts were supported by individuals and businesses across the community who believe in and have been impacted by their work. The shelter worked in partnership with several sponsors, including Bank OZK and Hill’s, who matched gifts from community members. “The campaign will help our For-All animal shelter care for nearly 7,000 animals annually,” commented Eric Keaton, Chief Marketing Officer at the SPCA Tampa Bay. 

In addition to the animals that are accepted via surrender, the shelter also provides care for injured or orphaned wildlife and operates a full-service vet clinic. Some community members that are unable to cover the veterinary care of their animal companions will also benefit from the donations from the Annual Day of Giving through the Caldwell Keeping Families Together Fund. 

Brevard Humane Society (BHS) opened their doors in 1952. This year marked 70 years of them serving their community, an accomplishment they celebrated at their recent Tuxes and Tails event. The night was filled with celebratory laughter, smiles, and pride. In 2021, BHS found loving homes for over 1200 dogs and cats that entered their care and reunited 76 lost pets with their families. In addition to their work with lost and homeless pets, BHS also operates a low-cost clinic that provides high quality spay/neuter and preventative care to pets across the community. The event was sponsored by Subaru of Melbourne, pictured above with Theresa Clifton, Executive Director of Brevard Humane Society. 

Combating homelessness or a domestic violence situation is a cause that the Humane Society of North Central Florida says some shouldn’t deal with alone.

“And they will not leave that situation if they cannot take their pet with them,” mentioned Margot DeConna the Director of Advancement at the non-profit.

On November 12, 2020, nothing could dampen the excitement at Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB), not even a tropical storm. Though Eta pounded the Tampa Bay area with wind and rain during the early hours of Thursday morning, by afternoon the clouds had broken, and HSTB staff and volunteers were busy preparing for the Grand Opening of the long-awaited DeBartolo Family Animal Shelter. That evening, HSTB donors, friends, volunteers, staff and Tampa celebrities such as Mayor Jane Castor and Titus O’Neil gathered under the stars in the Lasher Family Courtyard to celebrate. The new shelter not only offers increased space for events, a recently launched Humane Education Program, and fully equipped surgical suites and intake areas, but it doubles the capacity for animal housing and will allow HSTB to save twice as many animals each year.

For more than 70 years, the Society operated from the ramshackle building at 3607 N Armenia Avenue, making the best of limited space, no climate control for animals, and structures crumbling from age. Despite the antiquated facility, HSTB placed thousands of animals each year by using space efficiently and creatively and maintaining a cheerful, happy environment for the people and animals who visited.

Borrowed Buddies allows individuals and families to "check out a dog for the day" to go on adventures, release some energy and have good old fashioned fun! It's a great way for people to get to know potential new family members and to encourage safe socialization during the pandemic. Check out the video below for more information:

Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch (Humane Society of Greater Jupiter/Tequesta) has been nominated for three 2020 Hats Off Nonprofit Awards:

• Nonprofit Executive Of The Year: Pat Deshong (pictured left)
• Nonprofit Of The Year
• Community Collaborator of the Year: for their relationship with the Renewal Coalition through their Shelter to Service Dog Program

The awards ceremony will take place virtually on December 7th. We wish Ms. Deshong and Furry Friends the very best of luck and congratulate them on the hard work and dedication that led to these nominations.

In September, Southeast Volusia Humane Society put a fancy twist on cat adoptions with their Real Housecats Adoption Promotion. For the entire month, adoption fees for cats featured in the event were just $20! Volunteers with the Society got creative with wardrobe and accessories giving these cats all the bling with NONE of the [email protected]!ch often seen on the popular Real Housewives TV series. The promotion was loads of fun and a huge success for cats (all found homes!) and adopters alike.

Story and photo courtesy of The Association of Animal Welfare Advancement

When the pandemic first hit, Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando regularly asked staff what they needed and how they were doing. Their top 3 concerns? Their safety, their paycheck, and their families. In order to fully support employees who needed a safe space for their children to finish up the school year remotely, the Florida agency set up a Bring Your Child to Work Program. 

Here are the key components that made the program such a success:

Photos and information courtesy of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League

Each year, dozens of local animal rescue groups join together for the Countdown 2 Zero (C2Z) Adoption Event - Palm Beach County’s largest one-day adoption event- in an effort to save the lives of hundreds of animals. Due to COVID-19, the 7th Annual Countdown 2 Zero Adoption Event was held as a virtual event and took place for one-week, instead of one-day. 

Article featured in The New Barker Dog Magazine

As our nation responds to the COVID- 19 pandemic, reports of increasing rates of domestic violence have surfaced across the country, including Florida. Thankfully, a new lifesaving law (SB 1082), signed by Governor DeSantis, went into effect on July 1, 2020.

Courtesy of Pensacola Humane Society

COVID-19 drastically changed how animal shelters operated around the country. As state stay-home mandates went into effect many shelters, Pensacola Humane Society included, scrambled to figure out how to keep animals safe and cared for while maneuvering the ever-changing rules and regulations that the global pandemic brought. One of the positive things to come out of it all was the way it brought together animal shelters around the nation with regular zoom calls keeping people in the loop, offering advice and being a sounding board as we all tried to make the best decisions. Another positive that came out of all the changes caused by COVID-19 was the forming of our Help Team. The Help Team was created to offer support, advice and help to the community of Pensacola by way of phone calls and emails, regularly communicating with the community remotely. 

Courtesy of SPCA Tampa Bay

SPCA Tampa Bay has been innovating a lot these past couple of months. With those new innovations, inevitably come new pitfalls. Our team is currently struggling with some of the consequences of moving our veterinary center to curbside and drop-off pick-up. We’ve asked clients to call to check-in but it’s clogging up our phone lines. Clients give vague descriptions of their cars which leaves our staff searching the parking lot for longer than they should. Additionally, some local facilities around us have closed and subsequently increased the number of clients we get seeking treatment.  

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In the animal welfare field, it’s not uncommon to hear people say that they “feel alone” or that “nobody else cares”. It’s a difficult field to work in – heavily passionate -- and it’s easy to feel isolated, and like there is always so much more work to be done. 

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) actively mentors other humane organizations in Florida and across the country in Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return (TNVR) best practices. 

The Society has seen great success in their own TNVR efforts, sterilizing more than 66,000 free-roaming cats since the program's inception in 2008. In addition, with their close partnership with Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center (the county's municipal shelter), HSTB has helped reduce the area's cat euthanasia rate by 60%.