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While we work hard to drive people to adopt, the majority of pets still come from other sources. Here you'll find the tools you need to attract more pet adopters, find new audiences for pet adoptions and create successful adoption experiences.
Finding a loving and happy home for every animal waiting to start a new life—that’s the goal of everyone who works in sheltering and rescue. Adopters Welcome challenges us to change the way we approach potential adopters. Rather than look for ways to disqualify them from taking home a pet, let's find ways to send them home with a pet by engaging in conversation and providing information and resources.
Improve and increase adoptions—discover new adoption marketing ideas, best practices in transfer, inspirational stories of unlikely adoptions, resources to improve the adoption process and more.
The majority of pet stores that sell puppies are getting those dogs from puppy mills, where mother dogs spend their entire lives in cramped cages or kennels with little or no personal attention. When the mother and father dogs can no longer breed, they are discarded or killed. Due to poor sanitation and a lack of preventive veterinary care, the puppies from puppy mills are often sick. Help us fight this industry.
Animal Sheltering's Shelter and Rescue Essentials has the latest articles from Animal Sheltering magazine, publications, policies, assessment tools, guidelines, connections and other resources to support the lifesaving work of shelter and rescue professionals. You can filter by topical tag or type of resource.
Rescue group policies and practices
Help your rescue group make the greatest impact for pets and people. Discover advice and guidance on every aspect of rescue work, from incorporating your organization to setting the highest standards of care for every animal you help.
Volunteers are an essential part of nearly every animal protection organization. Well-run volunteer programs amplify our reach and increase our capacity to care for animals and the number of lives saved. Here, we offer managers of volunteers materials and resources to design and build the volunteer program that will best support the staff in meeting the organization’s mission, and provide them with opportunities for ongoing learning and professional development.
The HSUS's Animal Rescue Team works with law enforcement to investigate and assist with large-scale cruelty cases. Every year we rescue thousands of animals from puppy mills, animal fighting operations, natural disasters and other situations where animals suffer from life-threatening cruelty and neglect. We are sometimes able to help local groups take on major cases.
Shelter operations and management
Utilize our resources to improve the health and welfare of the animals in your care and ensure you're following the best and most current operations and management procedures.
Animal Sheltering's Shelter and Rescue Essentials has the latest articles from Animal Sheltering magazine, publications, policies, assessment tools, guidelines, connections and other resources to support the lifesaving work of shelter and rescue professionals. You can filter by topical tag or type of resource.
As you strive to create a state-of-the-art animal shelter, take time to assess your community’s growth rate as well as your shelter’s animal data and programs to help determine your future needs. Read stories from shelters that have maximized their space and begin plans for your own shelter facility, whether you're retrofitting to maximize your current capacity or starting from scratch.
Volunteers are an essential part of nearly every animal protection organization. Well-run volunteer programs amplify our reach and increase our capacity to care for animals and the number of lives saved. Here, we offer managers of volunteers materials and resources to design and build the volunteer program that will best support the staff in meeting the organization’s mission, and provide them with opportunities for ongoing learning and professional development.
The Shelter Pet Project is the first national public service announcement campaign created to bring together animal welfare organizations to increase pet adoption and save more lives. A collaborative effort by The Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund and the Ad Council, The Shelter Pet Project breaks the stereotypes associated with shelter pets by allowing real-life adopted pets to showcase just how amazing they really are.
Start Your Amazing Adoption Story
The Shelter Pet Project is the result of a collaborative effort between two leading animal welfare groups, the Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund, and the leading producer of public service advertising (PSA) campaigns, The Ad Council.
Adopting from an Animal Shelter or Rescue Group
Did you know that shelters and rescues always have a great selection of animals looking for new homes? You can find cats, dogs, birds, small animals, even horses and livestock.
Puppy mills contribute to pet overpopulation and cause countless dogs lifetimes of suffering in squalid wire cages. Help us stop this cycle of cruelty: Do your research before getting a puppy, and look into adopting a dog from your local shelter or rescue.
The Humane Society's Animal Rescue Volunteers work with the HSUS Animal Rescue Team to help save animals who are the victims of illegal animal cruelty and natural disasters.
Top Reasons to Volunteer at Your Local Animal Shelter
Interested in making a difference in your community? One of the best places to volunteer may be right near you: an animal shelter or animal protection organization.
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