Arizona's oldest and largest no-kill shelter has implemented a new program called "Rural Rescue" that saves animals all over the state in Arizona. The new program started in 2019, and 249 rural rescue transports have occurred across the state since then. Its mission is to be the community's leading source for pet adoptions, affordable veterinary services and expertise in animal welfare. The AAWL and SPCA rescued and rehabilitated over 4000 animals last year. The new program already includes 32 rural shelters within its first year of existence and is continuing to grow and expand. Some of these animals are rescued from smaller, rural shelters across the state who have partnered with AAWL to bring an end to pet homelessness. Many of these rural shelters at times lack the resources to fully support these animals on their own. Since many are based in low-income communities, they often struggle to raise animals and provide them with a good quality of life. The AAWL's annual report was released last December and provides statistics and insight into the actions, techniques, and tactics used by the rural rescue team.

These are examples of how AAWL supported its rural shelter partners in 2019:

● Provided 31,000 pounds of food donated to rural rescue partners

● Drove 41,129 miles across Arizona for rural rescues

"I can't express in just a couple of sentences how meaningful this relationship has been for our rescue and our local shelters. Many of these animals suffer from medical or behavioral challenges beyond the capability of our local groups to manage; the AAWL and SPCA provide us a lifeline of hope," said Rural Rescue partner BJ Johnson in the 2019 annual report from AAWL and SPCA.

The report ultimately exposed a few final takeaways:

● Animal welfare and pet homelessness is a state-wide problem.

● The AAWL and SPCA are expanding its community leadership and help instead of only providing care for Maricopa county.

● Donations are key for the future of this program because the AAWL and SPCA is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization.

Donations are the foundation for this program, as the AAWL and SPCA do not get funded by the government and all of its services and resources are funded by donations. The AAWL and SPCA has fundraisers scheduled in the upcoming weeks to raise money for the Rural Rescue program.

To learn more about the recap from 2019, download the full report here.

About the Arizona Animal Welfare League and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA is the largest and oldest no-kill shelter in Arizona. The shelter is historic and dates back to 1971 when it was founded by Amanda Blake, who was best known as "Miss Kitty" from the television program known as Gunsmoke. Over the past 49 years, the organization has grown from adopting a handful of animals each year to a full-service animal welfare organization and leader in innovative behavior training, medical care, adoption, education, and community outreach programs. AAWL holds a leadership position in the community in education and animal welfare issues. The AAWL and SPCA try to educate people on the issues that come with having shelters and give them plenty of options to raise an animal in need of a home. The vision of this non-profit is to be the community's leading source for pet adoptions, affordable veterinary services, volunteer opportunities, humane education and expertise in animal welfare.