Eight of the nation’s largest and most influential animal welfare organizations and foundations recently convened to create a position statement on the importance of transparency and sharing key data as defined by Shelter Animals Count. The joint position statement is being made publicly available to provide a better understanding of accountability expectations for organizations that take stray and homeless pets into their care. It is also intended to help guide shelter protocols and inform the future of the industry.
Together, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®, Best Friends Animal Society, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, the Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund®, PetSmart Charities®, Petco Foundation and WaterShed Animal Fund contribute more than $100 million annually to animal welfare and provide for the care of millions of pets each year.
The issuing of this position statement marks a shared commitment among the eight renowned animal welfare organizations to lead by example and work together to save and enhance the lives of animals across the country. The position statement reads as follows:
“As national leaders and funders of animal welfare in North America, we believe that organizations should be transparent about the number of animals that come under their care, and the outcome for all of those animals. That is why we support the public availability of key data (the basic data matrix as defined by Shelter Animals Count), from all animal welfare agencies and nonprofits, both publicly and privately funded and whether or not they provide government animal control services or humane law enforcement.”