ORGANIZATIONS ON THE GROUND
Support Those Who Make a Difference
Every year, we get asked about what rescues and shelters our readers should adopt from, or support. Adoption and fostering are the best ways you can help our rescues and shelters overcome the current crisis of overcrowding due to inflation and an uncertain economy and help to stem the amount of animals being euthanized in facilities across the country to make room for more homeless furrever friends.
As 2025 is almost upon us, please take a moment to look through the populations that these amazing facilities have for adoption or foster. Every single one of these beautiful animals deserves a loving and responsible home.
SHELTERS:
Shelters are a vital part of the rescue and advocacy communities. There are, essentially, three types of shelters: municipal, no-kill and network shelters.
Municipal Shelters: Municipal shelters are usually contractually obligated by the local jurisdiction to euthanize to make room for more homeless pets. However, they are not the enemy of adoption or advocacy. They are responsible for taking in every animal that is presented to their door. Unfortunately, in this inflation-bloated economy, that means less adoptions and more animals in these shelters. Often rescues and no-kill shelter facilities will work with municipal shelters to help get as many animals into loving and responsible homes. But make no mistake about it, these facilities are vital to saving our furrever friends, despite the naysayers that want these places closed. They don’t have a choice as to whether they can or cannot euthanize to make space as it is the law.
No-Kill Shelters: These facilities are often privately funded by foundations, grants and the local community’s donations. They will not accept new animals until they have made room in their current population through adoption or fostering.
Network Shelters: These facilities are often part of a larger network or affiliated with a larger shelter system. Most of them are no-kill facilities because they can afford to house animals for longer periods with less adoptions on their books. These shelters are typically part of an SPCA or Humane Society or Best Friends Animal Society. More often than not, these shelters will work with municipal shelters to try and save as many animals as possible.
Rescues
Rescues do the majority of the leg work in the animal rescue and advocacy space when it comes to bringing furrever ones into loving and responsible homes. While shelters are usually tied to their specific facility (or facilities), rescues tend to be much more nimble and mobile. Both shelters and rescues use adoption trucks to bring animals to adoption events and high traffic areas to get as many animals adopted as they can. But rescues are on the ground all day, every day, making a significant dent in the never-ending battle to, as Best Friends Animal Society says, “Save them all.” They are often the ones who will show up at a small event with two, three or four animals to adopt out. Shelters require much larger scale events with ten or more animals being shown. When you add up all of the smaller events and efforts by rescues, the number is astounding.
Rescues also “pull” the largest volume of animals from municipal shelters (meaning they take legal responsibility for the animal, freeing up space at the shelter for more, while working within their community to either adopt or foster out the animals they pull). The larger rescues usually have larger donor bases, enabling them to do more public events and fund more foster families than shelters or smaller rescues.
Mid Atlantic Region
American Bulldog Rescue,
Jodi@americanbulldogrescue.org,
www.americanbulldogrescue.org
Delaware Pet Rescue,
DelawarePetRescue@gmail.com,
www.delawarepetrescue.org
Homeward Trails,
info@homewardtrails.org,
www.homewardtrails.org
Renee’s Rescues,
info@reneesrescues.org,
www.reneesrescues.org
Saving Grace Animal Rescue,
adopt@savinggraceanimalrescuemd.com,
www.savinggraceanimalrescuemd.com
Small Miracles Cat & Dog Rescue,
info@smallmiraclesrescue.org,
www.smallmiraclesrescue.org
Northeast Region
Adopt A Boxer Rescue,
info@adoptaboxerrescue.com,
www.adoptaboxerrescue.com
All About Spay Neuter Inc.,
AASNAdoptions@gmail.com,
www.allaboutspayneuter.com
Almost Home Animal Rescue & Adoption, Inc.,
support@almosthomeli.org,
www.almosthomeli.org
Gatto Pups & Friends,
info@gattopupsandfriends.com,
www.gattopupsandfriends.com
Anchor Paws Rescue,
Info@AnchorPawsRescue.org,
www.anchorpawsrescue.org
Animal Lighthouse Rescue,
info@alrcares.com,
www.alcares.org
Anjellicle Cats Rescue,
info@anjelliclecats.com,
www.anjelliclecats.org
Bobbi & The Strays,
adopt@bobbicares.org,
www.bobbiandthestrays.org
The Boxer Rescue,
info@theboxerrescue.org, www.theboxerrescue.org
Brick City Rescue,
info@brickcityrescue.com,
www.brickcityrescue.com
City Critters,
adoptions@citycritters.org,
www.citycritters.org
For Our Friends Dog Rescue,
fofdogrescue@yahoo.com,
www.forourfriends.org
Happy Life Animal Rescue,
Happylifeanimalrescue@gmail.com, www.happylifeanimalrescue.org
Husky House,
huskyhouseinc@gmail.com,
www.huskyhouse.org
Jersey Pits Rescue,Inc.,
jerseypitsrescue@gmail.com,
www.jerseypitsrescue.com
Korean K9 Rescue,
info@koreank9rescue.org,
www.koreank9rescue.org
Little Shelter Animal Rescue &
Adoption Center,
info@littleshelter.com,
www.littleshelter.org
Long Island Golden Retriever Rescue,
ligrr@yahoo.com,
www.ligrr.org
Louie’s Legacy,
info@louieslegacy.org,
www.louieslegacy.org
Main Line Animal Rescue,
info@mlar.org,
www.mlar.org
Muddy Paws Rescue,
info@muddypawsrescue.org,
www.muddypawsrescue.org
Muddy Paws Rescue,
info@muddypawsrescue.org,
www.muddypawsrescue.org
Posh Pets Rescue,
marketing@poshpetsrescueny.org,
www.poshpetsrescueny.org
Queen City Cats VT,
queencitycatsvt@gmail.com,
www.queencitycatsvt.org
Rescued Treasures Pet Adoptions,
rescuedtreasuresadoptions@gmail.com,
www.rescued-treasures.com
Sammy’s Hope,
info@sammyshope.org,
www.sammyshope.org
Sean Casey Animal Rescue,
theresa.labianca@nyanimalrescue.org,
www.nyanimalrescue.org
Social Tees Animal Rescue,
contact@socialteesnyc.org,
www.socialteesnyc.org
Staten Island Hope Animal Rescue,
info@statenislandhoperescue.org,
www.statenislandhopeanimalrescue.org
A Stone’s Throw Dog Rescue,
astonesthrowrescue@gmail.com,
www.astdogrescue.com
Stray From The Heart,
info@strayfromtheheart.org,
www.strayfromtheheart.org
Waggytail Rescue,
adopt@waggytailrescue.org,
www.waggytailrescue.org
Yorkie 911 Rescue,
yorkie911rescue@gmail.com,
www.yorkie911rescue.com
Southeast Region
Angels Among Us Pet Rescue,
info@angelsrescue.org,
www.angelsrescue.org
Animal A.I.D. of Mississippi,
info@animalaidms.org,
www.animalaidms.org
Big Dog Ranch Rescue,
Saveadog@bdrr.org,
www.bdrr.org
shelters
Big Dog Ranch Rescue,
Saveadog@bdrr.org,
www.bdrr.org
Animal Care Centers of NYC,
Khansen@nycacc.org,
www.nycacc.org
The Animal Haven,
ilovepets@theanimalhavenct.org,
www.theanimalhavenct.org
Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Inc.
info@arfhamptons.org,
www.arfhamptons.org
ASPCA,
info@aspca.org,
www.aspca.org
Bideawee,
ManhattanAdoptions@bideawee.org,
www.bideawee.org
Camp Papillion Animal Shelter,
info@camppapillon.org, www.camppapillon.org
Connecticut Humane Society,
info@cthumane.org,
www.cthumane.org
Humane Society of New York,
info@humanesocietyny.org,
www.humanesocietyny.org
Humane Society of Westchester,
Info@HumaneSocietyofWestchester.org,
www.humanesocietyofwestchester.org
Liberty Humane Society,
lhs@libertyhumane.org,
www.libertyhumane.org
Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter,
info@njshelter.org,
www.njshelter.org
PAWS Adoption Center,
info@phillypaws.org,
www.phillypaws.org
Best Friends Animal Society,
contactnyc@bestfriends.org
bestfriends.org/new-york-city
Humane Society of Greater|
Miami,
marketing@humanesocietymiami.org,
www.humanesocietymiami.org
