Columbia, SC — Columbia Animal Services is partnering with Horry County Animal Care and Best Friends Animal Society as part of Best Friends’ Prince and Paws Shelter Collaborative Program with a goal of increasing lifesaving for dogs and cats entering Columbia Animal Services. Currently, the save rate at Columbia Animal Services is between 80-87%.
The shelter collaborative program matches shelters that are leaders in animal welfare with shelters that are working to save more animals. The goal of the partnership is to achieve a 90% save rate at Columbia Animal Services by the end of the year grant program. This would mean that 90% of the dogs and cats entering their care leave alive, understanding that some animals will be too medically or behaviorally fragile to be released. Best Friends helps to facilitate these matches, works with peer mentors to create a contract that includes clear grant parameters, provides mentors with seed grants, and offers ongoing training and coaching to mentors and fellows.
Columbia Animal Services will be paired with Horry County Animal Care.
Columbia Animal Services has been working to save more animals in recent years but believes that they can implement more lifesaving changes through the one-on-one mentorship this program provides. Horry County Animal Care is a national leader in animal welfare who was chosen to partner with Columbia Animal Services because they have experience overcoming many of the challenges Columbia Animal Services faces each day.
Through the shelter collaborative program, Best Friends will be providing grant funding to cover the expenses associated with achieving the partnership’s goals. Columbia Animal Services will use the funding to implement nationally recognized proven strategies to decrease unnecessary intake and increase adoptions, community engagement and rescue partnerships. These proven strategies have been successful at saving dogs and cats at Horry County Animal Care. Together, Columbia Animal Services and Horry County Animal Care expect these strategies to eliminate the need to euthanize animals at Columbia Animal Services.
The shelter collaborative program is a cornerstone of Best Friends Animal Society’s goal of making America a no-kill nation by 2025, according to Carrie Ducote, National Senior Strategist for the Shelter Collaborative Program.
“Creating and sustaining no-kill in communities across the country will only be possible if shelters, community members and other stakeholders work together,” Ducote said. “As more organizations collaborate to save the lives of homeless pets, we will achieve no-kill in every shelter and every community by 2025.”
What can you do to support Columbia Animal Services? Foster homes, volunteers, and adopters are always in need to help keep live release up. Give us a call at (803) 776-PETS to speak with our program coordinators who can help you get started. Donations are very helpful as well, and easy to send via our Amazon wishlist. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see updates and adoptable pets. All adoptable animals are available for viewing at www.columbiaanimalservices.petfinder.com
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to about 347,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs all across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 3,300 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.