JEFFERSON, La. — If there’s one thing we know Rachael Ray loves, it’s dogs, and now her pet-centric Rachael Ray Foundation has partnered with local organizations The Inner Pup (TIP) and Jefferson Parish Animal Welfare Services (JPAWS), to ensure no one in the area has to abandon their pet, regardless of financial hardships. We talked to The Inner Pup’s Lindsay Goldring about the organizations plans for the funds received from the “Rachael Ray Save Them All” grant from Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization, which supports veterinary assistance for low-income families in Jefferson Parish.
Can you explain the significance of the “Rachael Ray Save Them All” grant for The Inner Pup (TIP) and Jefferson Parish Animal Welfare Services (JPAWS)? How does this grant help in reducing the number of pets surrendered to shelters?
The Inner Pup was invited to apply for the Rachael Ray Save Them All Grant” from our national partners and grant host, Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends has a mission to bring the United States to “no-kill”. This means that they want to lower euthanasia rates to under 10 percent across the nation. To do so takes a recipe of animal welfare programs, if you will. One piece of the puzzle is to keep intake rates down, so that shelters do not have to euthanize due to lack of kennel space. Best Friends hopes that The Inner Pup can help intercept surrenders in Jefferson Parish, in cases where the owner feels they must give up their animal to the shelter due to inability to afford veterinary care. If an owner would like to keep their pet and loves their pet but still cannot afford veterinary care, this is where we can step in with this grant.
[I]nability to afford an animal is one of the main reasons that owners give up pets. So, by helping pet owners afford vet care, we are meeting our mission to keep pets in their loving homes, and also, slowing the intake rate of shelters like JPAWS. Open-admission shelters, due to no fault of their own, often overflow and have to make more challenging decisions due to lack of space and high surrender rates across our city. Together, JPAWS and TIP would like to slow down this rate of surrender.
Can you tell us about the outcomes that you hope to achieve through this grant?
We see a major need for this service in Orleans Parish and it is a gift to be able to also provide this service in Jefferson Parish and work with JPAWS. We love to work with JPAWS for many reasons, one because we share similar values in prevention; we both know and believe that we must work with the community, and in prevention, to solve the animal overpopulation crisis. The community that we have helped thus far has shown deep gratitude in this service. Loving pet owners have to make such hard decisions; often between giving up their beloved furry family members or giving them the care they feel they deserve. With $15K, we hope to help between 100-150 pet owners and their beloved pets.
What are some memorable success stories The Inner Pup can share?
Khloe’s owner reached out to The Inner Pup in desperate need for a solution for her beloved dog. Khloe had been hit by a car the month prior which had mangled her leg. Her owner couldn’t afford treatment, so they managed the injury the best that they could with cage rest. However, a recent visit to the vet determined that Khloe had developed an infection from the injury and her leg needed to be amputated immediately, or the infection would spread through the rest of her body and kill her. Faced with the impossible choice of a surgery that they couldn’t afford or surrendering their beloved pet to the shelter, Khloe’s family turned to The Inner Pup for help.
The Inner Pup covered the cost of Khloe’s surgery, and now Khloe is back to being able to run and play just like she used to! Khloe’s owner tells us she never expected to love a dog quite this much, that she was originally intended to just be a pet for her daughters, but then Khloe became an emotional support pup for her daughter with ADD. [I]t turns out everyone in the family had been charmed by Khloe, as her owner tells us, “She soon after became my baby! Only dog I have ever had and we really can’t see life without her!”
For more information about The Inner Pup, click here. To learn more about Jefferson Parish Animal Welfare Services, the largest government operated open intake animal shelter in Louisiana, click here.