Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 22 days ago

    This one has been a long time coming, and I wanted to share it here because it belongs to all of us who work upstream.

    For a while we have been making the case that surrender prevention deserves its own moment on the calendar, the same way October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. So we wrote it up: a title, the framing, and a ready-to-sign proclamation any governor's office can act on. We named it Pet Surrender Prevention Month, because that names the actual problem and the actual fix.

    This July, Colorado became the first state to proclaim it, secured through one of our Animal Welfare Resource Network partners. One state down. It happened because our AWRN partner Elizabeth Coalson and National Canine Advocacy Group carried it across the finish line.

    Here is why I think it matters for this group. A proclamation is not a law. It is one year, with no force behind it. But it is a flag in the ground. It says out loud that keeping pets in their homes is a public priority and not a fringe idea, and it gives every one of us a hook to talk to our own officials, our media, and our donors about prevention.

    So here is the offer. The concept, the title, and the ready-to-sign proclamation template are not ours to hoard. If you want to bring Pet Surrender Prevention Month to your state, I will send you the whole packet, the governor request language and the proclamation draft, so you can hand it to your own governor's office. We do not compete. We connect. The more states that name it, the more real prevention becomes everywhere.

    If you want the packet, comment or message me and I will get it to you. Let's put prevention on the calendar, state by state.

    Pet Surrender Prevention Month Colorado Proclamation July 2026

    #CommunityPartnerships*
    #LawsandPublicPolicy

    ------------------------------
    Join The Shift To Prevention.

    BJ Adkins
    Founder/Director
    Animal-Angels Foundation
    Pinson, AL
    calendy.com/animal-angels
    bjadkins@animal-angels.org
    animal-angelsfoundation.org
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 22 days ago

    Hi BJ, 

    This is amazing, and especially salient to our rescue right now (DMV area).  Just recently, an adopter brought one of our adopted cats into a vet to be euthanized because they did not want the cat anymore. Our adoption contract explicitly says to return cats to us, and, luckily, the vet refused to euthanize and reached out to us and we have the cat with us now.  I think awareness and education regarding an active, not reactive, program to prevent pet surrendering could help prevent such situations in the future. 

    I would love to get this packet and see if Maryland will join Colorado! 



    ------------------------------
    Maura Matvey
    Grants Coordinator
    A Cat's Life Rescue
    MD
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 20 days ago
      |   view attached

    Hi Maura,

    Thank you, and welcome to it. Getting Maryland to name prevention out loud is a real win, and A Cat's Life Rescue is exactly the kind of organization that makes it land.

    Attached is your Maryland action sheet. It is mostly copy, paste, and send: a request message to Governor Moore's office and the ready-to-sign proclamation language, both written for you. Because July 2026 has passed, we are aiming for July 2027, which means no rush and plenty of lead time. The request goes in through Maryland's citation and proclamation form, and the sheet walks you through every step.

    Once you have submitted it, drop me a line so I can keep all the states tracked together, and forward anything the Governor's office sends back.

    Thank you for standing up for the families behind the animals.


    ------------------------------
    Join The Shift To Prevention.

    BJ Adkins
    Founder/Director
    Animal-Angels Foundation
    Pinson, AL
    calendy.com/animal-angels
    bjadkins@animal-angels.org
    animal-angelsfoundation.org
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)



  • 4.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 22 days ago

    This is greatly needed. I hope that more states adopt this, and that we can bring awareness to it. I plan on using it as a topic on our podcast in the near future.  If anyone has some good stories to tell about the excuses people use, please let me know and we can share them on our podcast. Thank you.



    ------------------------------
    PJ Rosch

    CEO & Top Dog

    Pronouns: she, her, hers

    The Little Red Dog, Inc.

    We are a 501(c)3 non-profit

    pj@thelittlereddog.org

    949-280-2223

    thelittlereddog.org
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 21 days ago

    Very Cool to see.  Awesome Work!!  I'm happy to try and see what I can do in PA to get it proclaimed if you want to send me the packet.

    Bryan



    ------------------------------
    Bryan Langlois
    Medical Director
    Spay/Neuter Save Network
    PA
    "Greatness is a title never to be self imposed"
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 20 days ago
      |   view attached

    Hi Bryan,

    Thank you, and welcome aboard. You know better than most that access to spay/neuter is where a lot of surrenders get prevented, so having Spay/Neuter Save Network carry this in Pennsylvania means a lot.

    Attached is your Pennsylvania action sheet. It is mostly copy, paste, and send: a request message to Governor Shapiro's office and the ready-to-sign proclamation language, both written for you. Since July 2026 has passed, we are aiming for July 2027, so lead time is on your side. The request goes through the Commonwealth's greetings and proclamations form, and the sheet lays out each step.

    Once it is in, let me know so I can keep the states tracked together, and forward any reply.

    Thank you for the work you do.



    ------------------------------
    Join The Shift To Prevention.

    BJ Adkins
    Founder/Director
    Animal-Angels Foundation
    Pinson, AL
    calendy.com/animal-angels
    bjadkins@animal-angels.org
    animal-angelsfoundation.org
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)



  • 7.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 20 days ago

    Great to see this!  Yes, state by state, this,  and many other firsts for the animals in our nation!



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    Kim Kamins
    Executive Director
    Fearless Kitty Rescue
    AZ
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  • 8.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 20 days ago

    Would love for you t champion it for AZ for next year. I have the kit ready if you're interested.



    ------------------------------
    Join The Shift To Prevention.

    BJ Adkins
    Founder/Director
    Animal-Angels Foundation
    Pinson, AL
    calendy.com/animal-angels
    bjadkins@animal-angels.org
    animal-angelsfoundation.org
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 20 days ago

    That is fantastic news, and I actually saw it announced outside the context of Maddie's--sorry I can't remember where!  What a great achievement for the team that made this happen!



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    April King
    Volunteer and Board Member
    Kotor Kitties
    +1 206 407 5336
    http://www.kotorkitties.org
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Pet Surrender Prevention Month just got proclaimed in its first state

    Posted 20 days ago

    April, thank you, this made me grin. Honestly the best part is that you saw it announced somewhere outside Maddie's. That is the movement doing exactly what it is supposed to do, traveling on its own. If it ever jogs loose where you spotted it, I would love to know, I am trying to track where this is showing up. And if Washington ever wants to be one of the next firsts, you would be just the person to help make it happen. Either way, thank you for the cheer.



    ------------------------------
    Join The Shift To Prevention.

    BJ Adkins
    Founder/Director
    Animal-Angels Foundation
    Pinson, AL
    calendy.com/animal-angels
    bjadkins@animal-angels.org
    animal-angelsfoundation.org
    ------------------------------