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Coastal Pet Rescue (CPR) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, abused and neglected animals in the coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Its goal is to save as many pet lives as possible through rescue, reduce pet overpopulation through spaying/neutering, and to provide opportunities to the public to become better pet guardians.
Coastal Pet Rescue was founded in Savannah, Georgia, on February 5, 2003, by Lisa Scarbrough. Scarbrough had been rescuing and placing pets on her own for two years. She decided to formalize her rescue effort so that she could enlist the assistance of others and do more. Today, Coastal Pet Rescue employs a non-paid executive committee of five that oversee nearly 60 active volunteers.
In 2005, the organization received recognition for its work several times. In February, the Savannah Morning News ran a featured article about Coastal Pet Rescue and its founder, Lisa Scarbrough. The reporter noted the rescue's biggest case at the time. Jackie, a female Weimaraner, had been hit by a semi truck and then left abandoned in an apartment for two weeks without any care. Coastal Pet Rescue took her and her companion, a male Weimaraner they dubbed "Colby" after the runner-up in the second season of Survivor, in to their care. Lacking proper funds for Jackie's much needed orthopedic care, the organization appealed to the public and raised over the needed amount. The story caught the eye of a local Lexus and Toyota dealership's general manager, who offered to support the agency through donations for each purchase of vehicles from two lots through one month. This led to their appearance in Time magazine in August as the dealership was rewarded with the Toyota President's Award for their community support.
Using the funds garnered from the dealership's support, Coastal Pet Rescue purchased and donated manikins and supplies in May to the Savannah Chapter of the American Red Cross so that pet first aid and CPR classes could be offered in the area. Continually striving to provide resources and support for animals in the community, the organization launched a trap-neuter-return program for feral cats in July. Dubbed The Milton Project, the program seeks to control the overpopulation of feral colonies around the Savannah area. Program coordinator Mandy Ownley works with a local vet to provide low-cost spays/neuters and rabies vaccinations to the cats and kittens that are trapped. Those that are young enough to be socialized are placed for adoption.
Looking to increase their humane education in the area, Coastal Pet Rescue launched its CPR Teens program in August. CPR Teens is a teen volunteer initiative to educate teens on the proper care for animals and deter tendencies towards animal cruelty.
In September, founder Lisa Scarbrough was recognized nationally for her dedication to homeless pets. Jiffy Lube named her its national Hearts on Wheels winner. Lisa was flown to New York to appear on morning talk and radio shows around the nation. Afterwards, she was treated to an afternoon with the ASPCA, including time with Annemarie Lucas, notable from Animal Planet's Animal Precinct. Also that month, Lisa was granted a scholarship from Humane Society University towards her bachelor of science in humane leadership program from Duquesne University.
Rounding out a month of awards, the story of Jackie was featured in the very first worldwide edition of Celebrate Animals . Celebrate Animals is a newsletter produced by Smarter than Jack, which features news of animal rescues and heart-warming stories.
Back home, the group collaborated with SPOT (Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together), an agency out of Atlanta, Georgia, to organize a two-day mobile spay/neuter clinic in Savannah. The group serviced 22 cats and several dogs. Founder Lisa Scarbrough was recognized again for her local work as a finalist for the Humane Society of Chatham-Savannah's Maggy Medallion.
In October, Purina named Coastal Pet Rescue to its Purina Pro Plan Rally to Rescue Ambassador program. The group was only one of three in Georgia selected. Purina provided event materials, including its own 10x10 tent, curb signs and fundraising items as well as packages for adopters.
December found the organization on CNN.com in a segment focusing on how the Internet has changed people's lives. Lisa's hometown publication, the Tybee Breeze, also ran a three-page article about the success of the organization for the last year.
Founder Lisa Scarbrough spent much of 2005 promoting her agency and raising awareness for homeless animals. She was a regular guest on WTGS Fox Newsmakers and WJCL Call 22, and the organization's website was selected as Winner Best of Savannah for Web Design by Connect Savannah. Thanks to the dedication and promotion by the volunteers of Coastal Pet Rescue, 143 pets were rescued, of which 114 found new homes.
The group was propelled to national attention again in 2006 with recognition by Purina. Rally to Rescue chose to honor ten of its over 500 ambassadors in May in Washington, DC, one of which was Coastal Pet Rescue. The honorees received an Award of Excellence from Purina, special recognition from the United States Department of Agriculture, and had flags flown over the capital in their honor. Sex in the City actress Kristin Davis gave the address at the National Press Room.
Coastal Pet Rescue founder and president Lisa Scarbrough received additional recognition in July as she was named to the REAL Hot 100 list. The REAL hot 100 is a list featuring young women from around the country who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes, and making a difference in their communities or the nation. Lisa Scarbrough was included for her dedication and contributions to Coastal Pet Rescue.
Current executive board:
Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.
An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until they were claimed by their owners.
In some countries there is an overpopulation of pets such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthanized, including 2.7 million considered healthy and adoptable. Euthanasia numbers have declined since the 1970s, when U.S. shelters euthanized an estimated 12 to 20 million animals. Most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters that could contribute to this dynamic.
United Coalition for Animals (UCAN) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2001 with the purpose of providing spay/neuter as a solution to pet overpopulation. UCAN made the decision in 2005 to open a Cincinnati-based spay/neuter clinic with the purpose of offering spay/neuter surgeries to low-income communities in the 12-county Greater Cincinnati region.In April of 2007, after thousands of volunteer hours along with a successful capital campaign, UCAN opened its non-profit Spay Neuter Clinic in Cincinnati's Queensgate area. Since that date, the clinic has provided over 67,000 spay/neuter surgeries.
Best Friend Forgotten is a 2004 American documentary film about pet overpopulation. The documentary, hosted by David Duchovny, tells the stories of Oreo the cat and Clover the dog as they face the realities of pet overpopulation. Viewers are given a balanced look at the controversial practice of euthanasia and the alternative no-kill movement. Interviews discuss common myths about spaying and neutering, and leaders from government to animal rights groups discuss pet overpopulation and the impact on our society.
Alley Cat Rescue is an international nonprofit organization, headquartered in Mount Rainier, Maryland, that works to protect cats using trap–neuter–return for community cats; rescue, and neuter before adoption; promoting compassionate, non-lethal population control; and by providing national and international resources for cat caretakers.
BAD RAP is an animal welfare and rescue group based in Oakland, California, devoted to caring for and improving the public image of pit bull terriers as pets.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a volunteer-based, non-government organization whose goal is to prevent animal cruelty through education, animal sheltering and advocacy, based in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay. PAWS believes that the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion which includes animals, thereby envisions a nation that respects animals, practices responsible pet ownership and protects wildlife. The volunteer-based organization rehabilitates these animals in the hope of finding them new homes and a second chance at a good life. PAWS does not take in pets of other people, but only victims of cruelty or neglect where the animal offenders are charged with violation of the Animal Welfare Act in court.
The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS), branded as Humane Canada, is a non-profit animal welfare organization in Canada, representing humane societies, SPCAs, and animal rescue organizations. The organization's stated goal is to promote the welfare and humane treatment of animals and work to end animal cruelty.
The National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to promoting animal welfare and animal husbandry practices, strengthening the human-animal bond, and safeguarding the rights of responsible animal owners and professionals through research, public education and public policy. The NAIA mission is "to promote the welfare of animals."
Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) is a registered non-profit, non-government animal welfare organization in the Philippines. It was founded in 2000 by a group of animal lovers determined to help the plight of animals in the Philippines. The current president of CARA is Nancy Cu-Unjieng.
World Spay Day advocates spaying, or neutering, advocating it "as a proven means of saving the lives of companion animals, community cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street." It is an event held on the last Tuesday in February each year.
The Doris Day Animal League was an animal advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. It established the annual observance Spay Day USA in 1994, which the group uses to bring attention to the pet overpopulation problem in the United States. On September 1, 2006, the organization merged with the Humane Society of the United States.
Adopt-a-Pet.com is North America's largest non-profit pet-adoption web service that advocates pet adoption, gathering information from over 12,000 pet shelters in the U.S. and Canada, and presenting adoptable pet data in a searchable data base to facilitate pet adoption. Adopt-a-pet.com is registered in Redondo Beach, California, as Humane America Animal Foundation. The web site allows people to sign up to receive an email when a pet that satisfies their criteria appears in a local shelter. Adopt-a-Pet.com also contains information on pet care for first-time pet owners and publishes a newsletter. The web site also lists volunteer opportunities and promotes spaying and neutering of the pets.
The Davinci Foundation for Animals (DFA) is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that assists animals in need, both locally and globally. The Foundation is funded through donations and through the support of the arts, which includes but is not limited to artists, authors, musicians, and entertainers. The foundation is the creator of "Davinci Artist/s", a rescue movement that supports and inspires artists of all fields to support rescue and animal welfare through their work.
The Southampton Animal Shelter is operated by the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization no-kill pet rescue and adoption center, that cares for homeless animals in the Southampton, New York, community of 22 towns, and places them in permanent homes. It is located at 102 Old Riverhead Road West, Hampton Bays, New York. The facility is also home to a low-cost veterinary wellness center that offers affordable spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations, pet dental, microchipping and more.
PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada, are non-profit organizations dedicated to saving the lives of homeless pets. In the United States, PetSmart Charities is the largest financial supporter of animal welfare and among the 400 largest philanthropic organizations working on any issue. PetSmart Charities was formed in 1994 by PetSmart founders Jim and Janice Dougherty, who chose never to sell dogs and cats within their stores. Their primary goal is to save the lives of homeless pets through programs such as their In-Store Adoption Centers in many PetSmart locations, Rescue Waggin' disaster relief program, grant program for animal welfare agencies across North America, and community adoption events. Another focus of the organization is increasing spay/neuter services to help communities solve the problem of pet overpopulation.
Project Bay Cat is a trap-neuter-return initiative for community cats in Northern California.
International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws of the District of Columbia, United States, that uses education and law to advance animal rights.
The Sato Project is an animal rescue and protection organization founded in 2011 by British-born Christina Beckles. It works to rescue abused and abandoned dogs in Puerto Rico, educating the public and advocating for abused and abandoned dogs. "Sato" is the Spanish word used in Puerto Rico and Cuba for referring to stray dogs or cats. Many of the project's missions have involved airlifting dogs before and after natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the earthquakes that struck Puerto Rico in 2019 and 2020. "Spayathon" is a spaying and neutering program, attended by Sato Project and other animal rights organizations in Puerto Rico, which has had an impact on the stray dog population.
^ Savannah Morning News Article on Coastal Pet Rescue (registration required)
^ WTOC TV story on fund-raising
^ SMN article on corporate donations (registration required)
^ Time magazine appearance(PDF file) Archived 2008-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
^ SMN article on manikin purchase (registration required)
^ SMN on the Hearts on Wheels award (registration required)
^ Creative Animals appearance (PDF file)
^ CNN.com article on Coastal Pet Rescue
^ Tybee Breeze publication {PDF file}
^ Pet Rescue Groups Honored for Their Commitment to the Homeless Pet Crisis
^ The REAL Hot 100 2006