Dogs Trust USA and Edith J. Goode Residuary Trust Make Lifesaving Investments

 Charleston Animal Society announced today that almost $60,000 has been committed by two leading animal welfare funding organizations to support the Pets for Life outreach program that saves animal lives across the region.

• Dogs Trust USA: $49,920 grant will focus on helping animals in North Charleston
• Edith J. Goode Residuary Trust: $10,000 grant will help animals in all Pets for Life neighborhoods

(Above): Pets for Life helped a North Charleston family that struggled with homelessness reunite with their dog Bronx.

A key safety net program, Pets for Life is a community outreach effort that involves going door to door connecting underserved neighborhoods to pet support resources, such as affordable veterinary care, free spay-neuter and vaccines. Sponsored nationally by the Humane Society of the United States, the Pets for Life guiding principle states that financial means are not an indicator of how much a pet is loved or a person cares about their pet.  Every person deserves to have the unconditional love a pet brings to a family.

In 2017, the Humane Society of the United States named Charleston the best Pets for Life community in the entire country.

When the program launched in North Charleston in 2014, outreach staff found that only 21% of pets were spayed or neutered in the City of North Charleston’s most underserved neighborhoods. By the end of 2019, 87% of all unaltered animals met through Pets for Life are now spayed or neutered. The program has expanded to rural parts of Charleston County and last year, Pets for Life touched the lives of thousands of families and their pets.

“We know one of the top reasons that families come to Charleston Animal Society for help is because they cannot afford veterinary care for a pet in need,” said Charleston Animal Society Chief Strategy Officer Aldwin Roman, CAWA. “These grants will make it possible for us to help keep more pets healthy through preventative veterinary services and keep those pets safe and in their homes.“