VCA Charities

When the things you enjoy doing helps your community and the furry friends living in it >>> Since 2020, the online world has revolutionized how many businesses operate, including animal shelters. Many potential adopters are viewing animal shelter websites and social media accounts to find their new family member. This is why many animal shelters have begun prioritizing engaging bios and high quality photos to highlight their shelter pets online.📸✨ I have had the privilege of hosting mini photo shoots for the shelter pets at the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society. These shoots are an engaging and rewarding way for me to showacase pets that are looking for their forever home this holiday season!!🎄🐾 Can you open your home to a pet this holiday season?? Many shelters are looking for temporary homes for their pets during these winter months. This is a great way to help these animals if you are currently unable to adopt.🙌🐶 Here are some adorable shelter pets AVAILABLE FOR FOSTER AND/OR ADOPTION NOW at West Columbia Gorge Humane Society right now‼️ Make sure to like and repost to spread the word🎉🎉 ALSO:: Want to take a dog out for the day?? Check out VCA Charities Dog Day Out program- I hear it’s a pretty cool program that’s already provided enrichment and homes to hundreds of pets throughout the nation🤩🤩

My first foster dog found his forever home! 🤎🥹 At VCA Charities our team is bringing to life our “A Home for the Holidays” campaign by fostering shelter dogs this holiday season. I’m so happy to share sweet Buttercup from Oregon Dog Rescue was adopted on Sunday thanks to a connection made during his stay with my family over Thanksgiving week. Our daily walk to the nearby garden store to see (and smell) Christmas trees turned perfect match when one of the employees at the store met and fell in love with Buttercup and officially adopted him on Sunday! This #givingtuesday I encourage you to consider giving back through more than just donations (although money is critically important) — giving of your time and talent is invaluable to a rescue or shelter in need of help. Walking dogs, cleaning kennels, socializing puppies, taking dogs on field trips (#dogdayout), clearing wish list, fostering or adopting are all ways you can help more dogs and cats find #ahomefortheholidays. Congrats, Buttercup — we miss you already! 🦮🫶🎉 PS. A big thank you to my teammate Claire Lawson for fostering Buttercup the week before I did! #vcacharities #vca #endingpethomelessness #foster #abetterworldforpets #proudlymars

VCA Charities and our 20+ shelter partners have taken more than 5,000 shelter dogs on field trips since the start of the Dog Day Out program. This has led to a reported increase in adoption, foster, or rescue placement for these shelter dogs. #AdoptaDogMonth 

My EXACT feelings on our VCA Charities Dog Day Out program…☀️🚘🌲🐕⬇️ I’ve always said (in addition to adoption) my main goal is to have a shelter dog feel the sun on her face, the wind in her hair and the grass under her paws…which is why this photo is everything! I’m completely obsessed with the physical and mental changes a single field trip offers a shelter dog — for dogs in crowded shelters, a day out of out of their kennel is their single best chance at finding a home... Here’s data from three partner shelter #dogdayout programs to validate the obsession: Arizona Humane Society: Average days in shelter pre-field trip: 41 Average days in shelter post-field trip: 14 Dallas Animal Services: 439 completed field trips, 85% adopted or rescued; 11% placed in foster LifeLine Animal Project: 797 completed field trips; 30% increase in people fostering If you want to learn more or take a shelter dog on a field trip, visit vcacharities.org #vca #vcacharities #shelterdog #abetterworldforpets #endingpethomelessness #proudlymars

Take 5,000 + shelter dogs on a field trip! ✔️ WOW — what a milestone! VCA Charities and our 20+ shelter partners have taken more than 5,000 shelter dogs on field trips since the roll out of our Dog Day Out training and grant program in October. 🐾🥾🌲🎒 Best of all…most of these field trips came with a reported positive outcome — adoption, foster or rescue placement! We’re committed to helping even more shelter dogs experience the joy of a field trip and the love of a forever home! Which is why our third #vcacharities Dog Day Out training cohort kicks off next week with 11 new shelter partners including Michigan Humane, City of Indianapolis, Nebraska Humane Society, City of San Bernardino, Cleveland Animal Protective League, Montgomery County Government, Utah Humane Society + others! To learn more about our program, take a dog on a field trip with a local shelter or view our Dog Day Our Starter Guide visit: https://lnkd.in/gZqi6px5 🙏💪 Kristen Hassen, Lisa Gunter, Finnegan Dowling, Kimberly West, Diana Duncan, CVPM, Michelle Beach Harlow, Claire Lawson #endingpethomelessness #abetterworldforpets #proudlymars #vca

In just one year, over 52,000 KONG toys have been donated to shelters across the United States. We are inviting shelters to join us to raise this number!    In May 2023, VCA Charities and KONG partnered to launch the Second Chance KONG initiative, aimed at enriching the lives of shelter animals.    Through this program, durable rubber KONGs with slight imperfections are repurposed to reduce waste and provide valuable resources to shelters.    "KONG exists because we know dogs need to play—they need enrichment, stimulation, and ways to keep busy while patiently waiting for adoption," said Brian Decker, Vice President of Brand and Creative at KONG. "Our support of VCA Charities and its vast network of shelter partners means even more shelter dogs will have a second chance at finding a loving home—not to mention care and toys while they wait for one!"   With the launch of our new website, VCA Charities is now offering an open application for qualifying shelters to request Second Chance KONG toys for their shelter dog populations. Interested shelters can learn more and apply here https://lnkd.in/gDnv6Z_P.   #SecondChanceKONG #ShelterDogs #VCACharities #KONG #KONGDog

We’ve provided 53,229 KONG toys to #shelterdogs across the U.S. in just one year! 🎉🙌❤️🦮🐾 The VCA Charities Second Chance KONG program has filled kennels with play and joy for 100 shelter partners and now we’re opening the grant program to shelters and rescues in desperate need of critical enrichment as the animal welfare industry continues to report over-capacity shelters and record-long wait times for adoptions. ➡️ Qualifying nonprofits interested in applying for up to 1,000 KONG toys can learn more and apply at vcacharities.org! Of course this program wouldn’t be possible without the generosity and partnership with KONG Company and KVP International, Inc. + Gabriel Martinez, Ryan Long, Brian Decker and Meredith Small as well as our own Lane LaPlante! And as an added bonus, we’ve also partnered with VCA Animal Hospitals to make limited edition KONG toys available for donation and have raised more than $200,000 in support of our Ready for Rescue Grant program — all with the goal of supporting adoption readiness and finding happy homes for deserving dogs. PS. This program equally good for dogs and the 🌎 as it finds homes for KONG ‘seconds’ — slightly imperfect KONGs that can’t be sold because of small imperfections but have the same durability as any KONG you’d find in a store! #vca #vcacharities #abetterworldforpets #endingpethomelessness #kongdog

Showing love to shelters dogs in Atlanta! 💙🐾🎒 Yesterday our friends from the VCA Animal Hospitals South Atlantic Field leadership team experienced the joy of our Dog Day Out field trip program with our partners at Atlanta Humane Society. Nine lucky dogs spent an afternoon walking, cuddling, sniffing and snuggling + received lots of love and attention! We’re excited to see Atlanta Humane Society pilot this life-saving and life-changing program and open it to the public later this year! To find a shelter location offering a Dog Day Out program near you visit vcacharities.org. #vca #vcacharities #endingpethomelessness #abetterworldforpets #proudlymars

VCA Animal Hospitals South Atlantic Field Team Gives Shelter Dogs a "Day Out" in Atlanta! Our team partnered with Atlanta Humane Society for a special "Dogs Day Out" event, sponsored by VCA Charities. We had the joy of taking shelter dogs on a walk through Atlanta, giving these adorable pups a chance to: • Enjoy fresh air and exercise • Socialize in public settings • Meet potential adopters This initiative not only brightens the dogs' day but also increases their chances of finding forever homes. It's a win-win for both the animals and our community! We're proud to support local shelters and promote pet adoption. Every dog deserves a loving home, and we're thrilled to play a part in making those connections happen. Interested in getting involved or adopting? Visit Atlanta Humane Society's website to learn more. #AdoptDontShop #VCAGivesBack #AnimalWelfare #PetAdoption #vcacares Diana Duncan, CVPM Susan Zobler DVM DABVP (Canine/Feline) Patti LeVan, LVT, CVT, LVMT Amanda Anastas Matt Roper Todd Nizialek Rick McMahill Lissa Cannady MVCC, CrVT Elizabeth Busch Carlos Campos, DVM Jon Cunnington, MBA, CVPM Christie Knowles, CIR Jessica M. Sewell, MVCC BAS LVT CVT RVT LVMT CPhT Andrea Danforth

Helping pets find and remain in loving homes is what we do! The expansion of our Ready for Rescue Grant Program is critical to supporting more shelter partners and shelter animals. Our board chair, Kimberly West, said it best when she said, “What started as a traditional grant program for shelter partners has grown into deeply meaningful training and support programs that are not only increasing adoptions but also decreasing kennel stress, boredom and behavioral issues and simultaneously increasing connections between the local communities and the shelters.” Throuh our newly web site, shelters now have access to the just launched 'Dog Day Out Starter Guide' (created in collaboration with Kristen Hassen, and based on the data of Lisa Gunter) as well as access to Second Chance KONGs for shelter pets (thanks to our friends at KONG Company)! Be sure to visit VCACharities.org to learn more! #vca #vcacharities #abetterworldforpets #endingpethomelessness #proudlymars