VCA Charities

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

I’m thrilled to share VCA Charities ‘Dog Day Out Starter Guide’ is officially out — and I’m hopeful it’s going to change (and save) the lives of so many shelter dogs! A big thank you to Kristen Hassen for collaborating with us on this field-trip toolkit for shelters. This body of work is in addition to the 22 shelters (with a collective intake of 350,000 animals annually) that we’ve provided in-person training as well as grants for supplies, tools and resources to launch Dog Day Out programs across the country. Our third in-person training cohort is coming in September, but until then — and for the smaller shelter partners across the country — this starter guide is an amazing tool to lean into the value of field trips and the data (thank you Lisa Gunter) behind how this type of enrichment is decreasing kennel stress, increasing adoptions and deepening connections between local communities and shelters. To view the Starter Guide 👉 https://lnkd.in/gNzfdmqs To find a list of shelter partners offering Dog Day Out programs, visit our *new and lovely* web site at vcacharities.org 🐾 🙏 to Kimberly West, Diana Duncan, CVPM, Michelle Beach Harlow, Paula Little, Claire Lawson, Megan Bauer and Allison P. for your support of this work! #vca #vcacharities #abetterworldforpets #proudlymars

This week our Dog Day Out program turned ‘Dog Day In’ at VCA Animal Hospitals Support Office! 🐕🐾💙 Bruno, Olive and Carti spent the day with VCA leaders and Associates attending meetings, enjoying lunch and taking quiet naps in between — a much needed day away from the shelter while they wait for forever families. A big thank you to Los Angeles Animal Servives West LA campus for making #dogdayout possible + Joseph Campbell, Gina Lindell and Joneen Murphy for fostering Bruno, Olive or Carti for the day! And YES all three dogs are still available for adoption and we’re covering their adoption fees! #endingpethomelessness #vcacharities #vca #adoptadog #proudlymars #abetterworldforpets

The face of a shelter dog on a field trip = 🤩 We’re on day two of our #vcacharities Dog Day Out field trip training program with 10 shelter partners from across the U.S. and today is our favorite day of the three day in-person training as it’s field trip day! Thank you to Arizona Humane Society for letting us take your dogs on outings -- they are having the best day with new friends! And thank you to our shelter partners ⬇️ for committing to a data driven, super simple solution to creating more enrichment, less kennel stress and more adoptions! Atlanta Humane Society, Austin PetsAlive, Brandywine Valley SPCA, Dallas Animal Services, Humane Rescue Alliance, LifeLine Animal Project, Louisiana SPCA, Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, New York City Animal Care & Control and Riverside County Department of Animal Services. And thank you to Kristen Hassen, Lisa Gunter, Finnegan Dowling, Sarah Aguilar, CAWA and the enrichment team from Maui Humane Society for teaching and leading the way! #vca #vcacharities #abetterworldforpets #proudlymars

For the love of shelter dogs, field trips and training programs! 🦮🐾📚 I’m thrilled to share the second VCA Charities Dog Day Out training cohort is currently underway in Phoenix, Arizona! We’ve brought 10 shelter partners together and fully immersed them in our comprehensive training program that’s improving, enriching and saving the lives of shelter dogs. With a collective annual intake of nearly 150,000 animals, we’re thrilled to have Atlanta Humane Society, Austin PetsAlive, Brandywine Valley SPCA, Dallas Animal Services, Humane Rescue Alliance, LifeLine Animal Project, Louisiana SPCA, Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, New York City Animal Care & Control, Riverside County Department of Animal Services join our dog field trip movement and bring much needed enrichment, exercise, and opportunity to shelter dogs and a shelter system that’s completely overwhelmed. Since launching the first pilot program in October, our #vcacharities shelter partners are seeing huge benefits of field trips — data is showing reduced kennel stress, increased adoptions and decreased number of days in the shelter (the ideal outcomes). In fact Arizona Humane Society reported 50% of dogs that went on a field trip to a local event, restaurant, hike or shopping center were adopted on the same day or the day after their first field trip + 400 new people signed up for a field trip = 🫶🫶🫶 Thank you to our amazing instructors: Kristen Hassen, Lisa Gunter, Finnegan Dowling, Sarah Aguilar, CAWA and the enrichment team from Maui Humane Society for your brilliance! And a huge thank you to Arizona Humane Society for allowing us to meet at your building, learn from your success and walk your adorable dogs! P.S. The VCA Charities Dog Day Out Starter Guide for shelters launches in less than two weeks — stay tuned! #animalwelfare #shelterdogs #vca #abetterworldforpets #endingpethomelessness #proudlymars

Want to get paid to hang out with shelter dogs for a week? Yes, please! 🙋🏻♀️ VCA Charities is hosting its first-ever Mars Ambassador Program (MAP) and it’s a literal dream job ⬇️ We’re taking our growing Dog Day Out field trip program and super-sizing it for one week — all dogs, all day, all week, all fun and all focused on increasing adoptions! We’re looking for 4 Mars Associates to head to Southern California September 22 - 28 to spend a week taking shelter dogs on field trips — sun up to sun down! We promise there will be plenty of snuggling, cuddling and loving on additional shelter pets during the week as well. If you work for Mars, Mars Petcare or Mars Veterinary Health and you’re looking to help make #abetterworldforpets by supporting shelter dogs find forever homes, message me or learn more at 👉 acts.mars.com/map #vcacharities #vca #volunteering #marsambassadorprogram #proudlymars Kimberly West, Diana Duncan, CVPM, Michelle Beach Harlow, Kristen Hassen 🙌

Last week, our friends at VCA Animal Hospitals hosted their annual national conference. Lucky for us at BARCS in Baltimore, the commute wasn’t very far… the conference was held in Washington, DC! At the conference, BARCS showcased our new Dog’s Day Out Program. This awesome new program was launched thanks to VCA Charities, who invited BARCS and a dozen other animal shelters to a think-tank and learning session in Los Angeles, CA last year. Not to be outdone, VCA employees participated in BARCS’ Dog's Day Out… while at the conference! Between hours of belly rubs and lots of exciting activities, our deserving dogs were thrilled for some much-needed R&R at the hotel. (If only they could order room service...) Every dog benefits from a break from the shelter—even for just a few hours—which is the heart of our Dog’s Day Out Program. Best of all, four dogs were adopted during this event: Chickadee went to a new home in Virginia, Chicklet and Molly will both be catchin’ rays in California, and Mary Puppins will now call Nebraska home. We were so surprised (and grateful!) to have so many adoptions. A big, barking “thank you!” to VCA for coordinating and funding all of the travel for those dogs. You’ll be pleased to know every dog knew exactly what to do in a hotel room—bounce between the beds and take a deep snooze in those perfectly pressed hotel bed linens!

When you bring shelter dogs to VCA Animal Hospitals National Meeting — we all win! 🙌 Last week in Washington, D.C., VCA Charities activated our Dog Day Out field trip program in the best way possible — thanks to our partnership with Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) we created nearly 40 opportunities over three days for seven shelter dogs to take field trips around D.C. and attend meeting sessions with VCA Associates. Conference highlights include: 🛌 Dogs sleeping in beds instead of kennels 💙 Hundreds of people loving on each dog rather than overlooking them 🐾 Mixed-breed dogs showcasing how well behaved and adaptable shelter pups can be 🦮 5 of the 7 dogs being adopted by either VCA Associates or members of the local Hilton D.C. team 🚘 Our very own Claire Lawson driving Mary Puppins from Washington, D.C. to Omaha Nebraska to her new home (because there are still airline restrictions on flying pittie mix-breeds in cabin or cargo) PS. The next time you or your company plans a big meeting, consider taking a shelter dog on a field trip and bring them with…you win, your colleagues win, the shelter dog(s) definitely win! #vcacharities #vca #adoptadog #proudlymars #endingpethomelessness #abetterworldforpets

After a house fire in Victoria Texas, Choo Choo was rushed to VCA Victoria Animal Hospital for life saving care. Dr. Davis, Dr. Wilfert and the rest of the team did such an incredible job, jumping straight into action to save Choo Choo from a potentially fatal situation. With the Help of VCA HOPE Fund, Choo Choo was given a second chance. VCA HOPE Fund is in place to provide financial assistance to qualifying pet owners to help with the cost of emergency procedures required to save an animal, when a pet owner cannot afford the full cost of treatment. I can't tell you how proud I am to work with a company that does everything they can to put pets first and VCA Victoria for not thinking twice when presented with an emergency. #vcaproud #vcacares #vetmed #petcare

The power of Dog Day Out field trips — changing and saving the lives of shelter animals! 🎒🐕🥾 So grateful to our partners at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) for being part of our pilot program! #vcacharities #proudlymars