I Want To Support, But There Are So Many Organizations – How Do I Choose?

I feel you. It can be tough to choose a charity when there are so many out there. You want to support one that serves its mission statement well, and know that your donation actually goes to the welfare of the animals. You can’t donate to everyone who begs your gift, so you want to choose carefully. It has taken me years to come up with my current list, and this is how I did it. This is not intended to pressure you to choose the same organizations as I list here below. Introducing you to my list can give you a reference point to help you figure out personally what you want to accomplish.

I thought about my goal for donating, and realized that I want to accomplish two different things. First, I want to support large, established, formidable organizations that make a powerful impact worldwide for animal welfare. Second, I also want to support smaller, sometimes obscure, organizations that have a compassionate vision, a noble purpose, lots of ambition, commitment to their goals, and just really need the support of their neighbors to get a foothold and grow. With these two targets in mind, I now had some direction.

Over the years I have consistently donated to ASPCA, Humane Society, Peta, World Wildlife Fund, American Humane, etc., all the well-known biggies. I was writing checks to so many organizations I couldn’t even count them anymore. I wanted to narrow my focus and consolidate my targeted organizations for giving. That involved some close review of where I felt my money would do the most good. Of the handful of organizations I ended up choosing, I made sure they all accomplish different but very important services to animal welfare, in the present, and for the future. This is my current list, and why I choose each:

MERCY FOR ANIMALS.

This organization just recently hit my radar via Instagram. I’ve looked into its Mission Statement and am definitely onboard. Mercy For Animals believes that a humane society is possible. It is committed to reducing the greatest amount of suffering for the largest number of animals. Its efforts focus on protecting farmed animals—the most abused and exploited animals on the planet—and it utilizes a broad range of strategic approaches that seek to expose cruelty, prosecute abusers, and inspire consumers to make compassionate food choices.  https://mercyforanimals.org/  

SOI DOG FOUNDATION.

Soi Dog is based in India and is a shining light for animal rescue and protection in an area of the world that gives animals no rights or regard. Soi Dog is growing and making headway despite the indifference of its culture toward animals. It is also creating outreach programs to go into schools and teach the children to care.  By creating a new, compassionate culture for its future, Soi Dog is contributing to the region’s new stand for animal welfare.  https://www.soidog.org/

AMERICAN WILD HORSE CAMPAIGN. 

AWHC fights to ensure the future of America’s iconic wild horses and burros and the Western public lands where they roam. We work to reform the cruel and costly federal roundup program and replace it with humane management that keeps wild horses and burros wild, protected, and free. AWHC manages the largest humane fertility control program for wild, free-roaming horses in the world..  www.americanwildhorsecampaign.org.

ANIMAL RAHAT.

Animal Rahat (Rahat means “relief”) is a rescue/sanctuary in India that focuses its efforts on the working animals of India – bullocks, donkeys, ponies, etc. Animal Rahat also goes into government facilities and schools to teach workers and students how to treat animals compassionately and thoughtfully so that the future of India’s working animals will be brighter and more humane. This is a lovely little organization.  https://www.animalrahat.com/

NO KILL ADVOCACY.

The No Kill Advocacy promotes and teaches a true no-kill culture in pet “shelters” all over America. We all know that too many U.S. shelters kill nearly as many animals as they place and are in fact not “shelters” at all. No Kill Advocacy targets offending shelters, encourages and teaches them how to think outside the box in new ways and thus change their approach to pet sheltering. Oftentimes it requires changes in personnel who refuse to abandon old policies. By simply changing their thinking (glass half full instead of glass half empty) and implementing new programs, shelters are then able to become true no-kill facilities. This is a huge area of need in our country, and I wholly support the No Kill Advocacy in its efforts.   https://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/

ALLEY CAT ALLIES.

This is a nationwide organization that targets a very specific demographic – homeless and feral cats. Cats are killed by the millions in “shelters” because of the sheer volume. Being surrendered to a shelter is pretty much a death sentence for most cats. Without implementing effective adoption programs, shelters don’t generally get cats adopted out quickly and end up euthanizing them simply for space issues. To justify the killings, shelters designate the cats as “fearful” or having “behavioral” issues, etc. These designations protect the shelters from being judged for not promoting true animal welfare. Alley Cat Allies promotes the concept of TNR (trap/neuter/return) to catch homeless cats, get them altered and vaccinated, and any kind of treatment they may need, and then release them back into the neighborhood they came from. This allows them to live happy, fulfilled lives, without multiplying, and without ending up on death row at the local shelter. And thus helps prevent over-population without killing.  https://www.alleycat.org/

TERRITORIO DE ZAGUATES.

I very recently discovered TERRITORIA DE ZAGUATES (“land of stray dogs”) in an online documentary (National Geographic on youtube), and was profoundly moved by its humble existence and its level of commitment to animal welfare, against all odds. TERRITORIA DE ZAGUATES is located in the high country of Costa Rica. It runs on a shoestring budget and often finds itself under attack by the local Costa Rica government that wants to shut it down. But they are digging in and their commitment remains strong. They need all the help we can offer. You can watch a number of videos and documentaries about this magical place on youtube by searching TERRITORIA DE ZAGUATES; and here is their website: https://info.territoriodezaguates.com/index/

SLAUGHTERHOUSE SURVIVORS.

This group does an amazing work, and I’ve been following them on Instagram. They go into very dangerous situations in China to rescue captive dogs from the dog meat trade. They negotiate to buy the release of the poor animals from the people holding the dogs or driving them in meat trucks to the butcher. I discovered this group on Instagram (@slaughterhouse_survivors), and I see they also have a Facebook page (HarbinSHS).  They are on the front lines battling against the dog meat trade in China, God Bless Them.

MILAGRO SENIOR PET REFUGE.

Rounding out my list is my own local Phoenix rescue organization, MILAGRO SENIOR PET REFUGE. I started MILAGRO in 1998 and incorporated and obtained 501C3 non-profit status in 2004. This is how and why MILAGRO came to be: in 1998, I went to the county pound in Phoenix to adopt a dog. I had already adopted several senior dogs from the pound–I had a soft spot for the throw-away oldsters. There were rows and rows and rows of dogs, barking, begging, desperate for rescue and some measure of kindness. I couldn’t begin to decide–I wanted them all.

So, while I thought about it, I leaned up against a kennel that I thought was empty, and just spent awhile people watching. I soon realized the kennel was not empty. A raggedy little old senior dog shuffled up and sniffed at my ankles. What a smelly mess he was. As I talked with him and hung out for awhile, I began to focus on what people were looking for in a new pet. One thing stood out – no one noticed the seniors. At all. Every last person walked right by this little guy and several other kennels with seniors as if they weren’t even there. That’s when I realized the need for an organization that promoted senior pets.  And MILAGRO was born.

Everyone told me I was nuts, that no one cared and no one wanted old sickly animals. But I started MILAGRO anyway. And today I’m ever so grateful for its presence in the rescue community. MILAGRO has always been a small organization for several reasons. But, through networking, it has still made a big impression across the nation. Here, twenty-some years later, there are now many organizations that promote senior pet rescue. I thank God that MILAGRO was a pioneer for homeless senior pets. www.milagropets.org

So Many To Choose From – You Can’t Go Wrong.

These are the charities I’ve personally chosen to support over the years, and there are hundreds and hundreds more out there that you can choose from who also do beautiful, compassionate work. Search your heart to figure out what aspect of animal welfare matters most to you, and then do searches online for organizations that fit that purpose for you.

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.