Compassion Can’t Be Quarantined

Your unwavering support continues life-saving work for animals in need

In March 2020, Massachusetts declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many organizations were forced to close their doors, but ARL did not. While some temporary operational changes were needed, no animals were turned away. Thanks to your support, ARL is prepared to face emergency circumstances such as these head-on. Your donations allowed us to continue our critical care for animals in need both behind-the-scenes and on the front lines. You gave us the ability to nimbly shift our operations to focus on the areas where we could be the most help to the people and animals in our community. “I am so grateful for the incredible dedication of our donors, volunteers, staff, and community over the recent months to keep our vital operations going,” says Dr. Edward Schettino, ARL President & CEO. “The next few pages demonstrate just a fraction of the important work for animals that YOU made possible during this uncertain time.”

Keeping Pets with the People who Love Them

While ARL's long-term vision always included a focus on preventative community-based initiatives, the pandemic demanded that ARL respond quickly and intentionally, aligning our strengths and capacity to make the biggest impact. After years of collecting our own data and administering surveys through our Healthy Animals – Healthy Communities Initiative, we built solid relationships with many Greater Boston communities that we identified as facing limited access to animal-related resources. Unfortunately, these neighborhoods are the same ones disproportionately affected by COVID-19. “In times of crisis, people often need someone to trust, to listen, and to provide minimal barriers to getting them the critical resources they need,” says Sam Fincke, ARL Community Initiative Coordinator. “For the foreseeable future, many of our neighbors will continue to be faced with tough decisions regarding their beloved pets due to emergency medical, financial, or personal reasons.” As a response to the pandemic, ARL launched its Keep Pets S.A.F.E (Supporting Animals Facing Emergencies) program to provide critical services for qualified residents of Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan, including:

Contactless delivery of pet food and essential pet supplies to clients’ homes and partner-supported community housing;

Pick up and transfer of pets to provide critical veterinary care and return them to their owner;

Temporary emergency shelter for pets, and pick up and return of the pet to their owner or a designated caregiver;

Arrangements for emergency surrender of pets with pick up service. Over 719 of these services were provided to families through Keep Pets S.A.F.E. from April through August. For two clients, this initiative had a profound impact. Sampson suffered a severe tail injury and required an expensive surgery. Telemedicine, emergency medical treatment, and multiple rounds of transportation were all available to him when he needed it most. Sampson received the critical resources he needed to heal and stay with his family when the high cost of care would have otherwise separated them.

Mitzu

Mitzu needed temporary shelter when her owner was admitted to the hospital. In August, ARL received a call from a case worker in Boston regarding a cat in need of help. Her owner had fallen ill, and no one knew when she would be back to care for her. Fortunately, we got permission from the owner to enter her home. When our agent arrived at the residence, she heard a quiet meow, and a little gray Tabby cat with an ear tip came crawling out from under the bed. She brought Mitzu and her belongings to ARL for compassionate care, while she waited for her owner to feel better. “This cat was an emotional support animal for her owner, so making sure they could reunite was very important,” says ARL Animal Field Agent, Anna Chaletzky.