Animal Friends, a nonprofit shelter in Pittsburgh, PA, helped 1361 animals find forever homes in 2024, but here are a few even more amazing numbers: They assisted 39,365 pet owners in the Pittsburgh area giving out 203,487 pounds of food, administering 21,055 vaccines, and spaying/neutering 5478 animals.

The shelter began over 80 years ago when a group of people helped find homes for dogs whose owners left to fight World War II. Eventually, they built a shelter in the city. Today, they reside on a beautiful 75-acre campus on the outskirts of the city, but continue to be deeply involved in animal welfare for the city.

Executive Director Kathleen has been at AF for 28 years, and her warmth and steady leadership are a big reason the shelter is such a special place – offering first-class individualized care, meeting critical community needs, providing affordable veterinary care, and engaging 1500 volunteers and countless community members in their work. As Kathleen explained, “We can’t do this work without the community.”

From the beautiful gardens to their community and education spaces, to the individualized enrichment plans to the ‘small dog socials’ and ‘bun runs’, the shelter is brimming with a welcoming energy.

AF is not just focused on the dogs in their care, but on keeping dogs in their homes. Pet retention is a critical theme that drives much of their work.

After a brief tour, we headed to Millville to see AF staff and volunteers in action at the fourth of their Community Clinics held this summer, which each serve as many as 600 animals (and their people). The clinics run from 10-3 and bring animal care, shelter services, and human services directly to the areas of the city in most need of them.

In addition to veterinary attention, vaccine clinic, and information about many of the AF programs, there were resources available for people, too, like information on help with electric bills and children’s health insurance. The county was also set up selling dog licenses.

We walked with Anne, Chief Program Officer, through the busy park beside the river where lines of people with their dogs on leashes and cats in carriers waited patiently for their turn.

Shelter vets and vet techs looked at each dog, administered free vaccines, and offered advice on ongoing health situations. Microchips and flea/tick preventatives were available for a small fee. Staff also offered to set up appointments for spay/neuter or other follow-up care at their Community Veterinary Clinic (also located on the shelter’s campus), including providing Pet Uber if needed.

AF staff fitted dogs with new collars or harnesses, offered advice on positive training methods, behavioral issues, and general humane education, in addition to giving out dog food from their pantry.

A local groomer’s van was parked with a line outside offering free nail trims and giving vouchers for dogs who needed additional grooming help.

Staff and volunteers were on hand to share all of the AF programs. Their Humane Education program offers summer camps, scout programs, regular programs, and education for kids, plus an annual summit for teens where they spend four days learning about animal issues and humane care, traveling to visit rescues in action, and presenting projects to state legislators and the PA Humane World for Animals rep.

AF’s Veterans program offers free adoptions for veterans, 20% off veterinary care, pet food assistance, training discounts, and emergency boarding when needed.

Back at the shelter, we learned about their Therapet program that trains and certifies (and deploys) therapy dogs/handlers (146 to date).

Animal Friends website is ThinkOutsidetheCage.org, and that is also their motto, clearly woven through all their work. AF is so much more than an animal shelter. Their innovative programs serve not just the animals but the people, too.

We had a delicious vegan lunch with the staff still at the building (many were at the community clinic). It was great to talk with them about animal sheltering in the northeast, as opposed to all that we see in the south. Their commitment and pride was clear, as was how much heart they bring to their work.

Before we left, we had a chance to check out the shelter veterinary suite (there is a separate big building that houses the community vet clinic, which we didn’t have time to see.). AF has two full-time vets and 5 vet techs (plus at least one volunteer vet tech) who perform surgeries and treat animals five days a week, and offer free follow-up vet care for the first two weeks of each adoption.

As a nonprofit shelter, AF could be choosy about what animals they bring in; yet, they often purposefully choose to take on behaviorally challenged dogs from other shelters, in addition to handling dogs serving out court holds. The shelter pulls dogs from other PA shelters, and less often from out-of-state shelters, ever since a new law in PA requires that dogs entering the state be quarantined for two weeks before becoming adoptable. That said, Kathleen and I talked about the possibility of AF partnering with southern shelters as the crisis deepens in the south.

Lifesaving Operations (aka animal care) led by Katie, is intentional on every level. Suzanne, the dog enrichment specialist, shared many of her practices and the enrichment room, which changes themes regularly (currently featuring a back-to-school theme).

Where a dog lives at AF is thoughtfully considered depending on individual needs, attention is paid to next door neighbors and noise level. There are even dogs residing with staff in many of the offices.

The shelter has a ‘real life room’ (for dogs who just need to nap on a couch), and all dogs get three walks a day. Many of the walking is done by some of the 1500 AF volunteers, but also by staff who are all required to do dog-walking shifts every week.

AF has dogs placed at the State penitentiary and has also begun working with the Alleghany jail. These kinds of programs are gaining in popularity for good reason – it’s good for dogs who often return to the shelter in a much more adoptable state, and for the inmates who gain life skills (and humane education).

There is so much more to say about this outstanding shelter. I took 15 pages of notes! Clearly, they are serving the canine and human population of Pittsburgh as a true community resource center.

While this is a nonprofit model, everything they are doing could be done in nearly any shelter situation with creative, determined leadership, access to affordable veterinary care, and a community who are truly engaged in the shelters’ work of saving lives and keeping pets and their people together.

If you are in or near West Tennessee, we will be hosting a free Stronger Together event on Saturday October 25 in Memphis. If you are an employee, volunteer, or supporter of a shelter or rescue, concerned about the animal crisis, or want to learn more about how you can connect and work with others to tackle the situation in West Tennessee, mark your calendar. Registration details will be available next week!

We are VERY excited to announce a new website and new logo coming in October! Stay tuned!

Until each one has a home,

Cara

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Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues was published in January of 2025. It is filled with stories and ideas to help everyone be part of the solution. You can buy a hardback or paperback copy for yourself and/or buy a copy for a shelter or rescue through our website. It is also available on Amazon in paperback and ebook. We are seeking opportunities to present the ideas from the book and facilitate discussions on how we can collaborate to find solutions for our shelters. If you have a dog-hearted group that would like to connect, contact Cara@wwldo.org.

To see our Emmy-nominated, award-winning short documentary, Amber’s Halfway Home, click here.

Did you know we have a podcast? I’m working at getting regular episodes up, including the audio version of the new book, and interviews with shelter heroes we meet. Find the podcast on Spotify and other podcast services.

For more information on any of our projects, to talk about rescue in your neck of the woods, or partner with us, please email cara@WWLDO.org.

For links to everything WWLDO, including volunteer applications, wishlists, and donation options, check out our Linktree.