Behavior & Training

The CHANGE Program was formed in 2007 to support local law enforcement in managing equine humane cases including neglect, abuse, abandonment and relinquishment. CHANGE is a state and federally accredited non-profit organization. It is not a county agency and is supported entirely by private donations. CHANGE provides 24/7 emergency transportation and foster care to horses in the custody of local law enforcement. All horses in the program receive complete veterinary care, hoof care, specialized nutritional support, and their own set of care supplies made possible by generous community donations to the CHANGE Tack and Supply Donation Program. Once rehabilitated, horses are then adopted by permanent loving families CHANGE also serves the community through education and outreach events such as law enforcement training seminars on equine-related subjects and low-cost castration clinics for the public. CHANGE also has served as a subsidiary in several courtroom cases by providing expert witness testimony. Some of the cases set legal precedent and garnered national media attention. Vision Statement To improve the acceptable standard of care for horses by being an agency of social change. Mission Statement To support local law enforcement as a subsidiary in equine cases through humane education, logistical and financial avenues. Core Values • Transparency • Accountability • Professionalism • Support of law enforcement • Education • Advocacy for horses • Ethical leadership • Service to the community through a novel approach Goals To be a transformative agency; to reach beyond business as usual To be a sustainable and secure organization In a county with more than 20,000 horses, resources for horses in law enforcement custody have at times been hard to come by. The unique housing, handling and management needs of horses make them a logistical challenge for municipalities, especially in light of tough economic times. But in 2007, horses in critical need found themselves with more options and a chance at a better future thanks to the inception of the 501(c)3 organization Coins to Help Abandoned and Neglected Equines (CHANGE). CHANGE functions as a community-based support network that assists local law enforcement with equine humane cases. CHANGE provides housing, veterinary care, farrier care and adoption services for horses in law enforcement custody. Since the organization’s inception, it has assisted with several dozen critical horses, many of whom entered the foster care program near death but were successfully rehabilitated and adopted into loving homes. But CHANGE doesn’t stop there--it also strives to educate law enforcement and the community about horse care. Through its efforts, CHANGE has helped to set legal precedent by providing expert witness testimony in several equine criminal cases. According to equine veterinarian Grant Miller, simply caring for horses who are victims of abuse and abandonment without addressing the root of the issue “enables the problem.” Miller, who founded CHANGE after euthanizing an emaciated and severely dehydrated horse left tied to a fence in 100-degree heat, describes a multi-pronged approach to the challenge of horse neglect. It all starts, and ends, with the law. “The law is the bottom line,” says Miller, “and if you enforce the law, you pull the situation up by the bootstraps.” CHANGE recognizes that prevention of horse abuse and neglect before it occurs is preferable to prosecuting and punishing offenders. That is why CHANGE works to offer education programs to law enforcement and the public in order to create a better understanding of basic horse care and handling. It’s a tall order for a little organization that subsists solely on donations from the community, but CHANGE is showing Sonoma County that big changes can come from the collective efforts of the community. "We are taking a new approach to an old problem," says Miller. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” The ongoing success of CHANGE is due to the overwhelming community support that it has received. It is clear that concerned community members want a method to contribute in whatever way they are able. When people see a horse in distress, they do not want to feel helpless. CHANGE gives them the tools they need to become empowered and to make their neighborhood a healthy place, for animals and people. Please donate today to help make a difference in the life of a horse in need and in your community.

When our organization was founded in 1910, it was named after a London, England, animal welfare group called Our Dumb Friends League. In those days, the term dumb was widely used to refer to animals because they lacked the power of human speech. Today, the Dumb Friends League, headquartered in Denver, is the largest community-based animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region—providing a strong and steadfast voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. As part of a compassionate community, we: Rescue sick, injured and neglected animals Investigate cases of neglect and mistreatment Provide shelter, veterinary care, and behavior and training programs to homeless companion animals and horses Adopt homeless pets and horses to new homes Reduce pet overpopulation through mobile spay and neuter projects in underserved areas Offer learning opportunities for the public to keep more pets in homes Educate children and adults about animals and their needs

ROAR (Rehoming Our Animal Refugees) is a non-profit humane society. Roar's mission is to aid the community in the prevention of cruelty to animals.

https://www.rescuepit.org/about/about-us/

he mission of Training Rescue Dogs, a 501(c)(3) organization, is to provide training and rehabilitation to rescue dogs. We are committed to working with other rescues and shelters to identify their dogs that need rehabilitation and then provide funding for their training. Training Rescue Dogs will locate and hire competent, experienced trainers who will evaluate and rehabilitate these dogs so they will successfully transition into homes where they can thrive and provide their families with years of companionship and joy. Many wonderful dogs who are searching for their “forever family” never find one because they display undesirable, but easily corrected, behavioral challenges. Some dogs, because of abuse, neglect, inadequate training or no training at all, never learn the social skills they need to be good companion dogs. Through no fault of their own, they might behave aggressively, defensively or fearfully. Tragically, these dogs are then passed over by rescue organizations, not offered for adoption by shelters and then euthanized. This is a terrible loss, both for the dogs and for the many potential families who could have welcomed and loved such an animal. Training and rehabilitation for these dogs is an unmet need among most animal rescues and shelters. We seek to fill this need by raising money for these often invisible and forgotten dogs. At Training Rescue Dogs, we don’t believe in giving up on dogs; we believe in giving them the future.

We are a group of friends and long time rescuers, working together for years. We have seen both the good & bad in rescue and have decided to band together to capitalize on the good and work for ONLY the well being of the dogs, not the glory. While we are an ALL dog rescue, our hearts are still with our pitties! We aim to save dogs not only from kill shelters but rescue them from the abusive, neglectful & horrid situations our precious pups find themselves in way too often. We will never turn our back on a dog in need!

PAWS for Irving Animals LLC is a group of dedicated, hands-on volunteers for dogs at the Irving Animal Care Campus. We aspire to work hand-in-hand with staff to achieve a no-kill status for Irving Animal Services through positive promotion of the dogs in social media, hosting off-site adoption events, promoting and training fosters, providing funds for animals in urgent need, and facilitating programs to promote adoption and rescue.

Gimme Forever Shelter is a 501(c)3 orgainzation providing shelter for at-risk and orphaned dogs. We provide all of the necessary services and tools to ensure a safe and successful adoption of our pets into forever homes. We love what we do because we see the joy between pet parents and pets when adoption is a successful and enjoyable process.

We are an all service rescue with three areas of service: Senior Dogs over 7, hard to place dogs, and consulting services to other rescues, primarily focusing on German Shepherds and German Shepherd mixes.

We are a new rescue and humane education organization. While we will be obtaining animals from local shelters and adopting them, we will also work to keep animals in their current homes through training, behavior modification, one-time financial assistance, spay and neuter services; and provide education to pet owners, the general public, and most importantly, the next generation of animal advocates.