ASPCA Launches Partnership in Albuquerque, N.M.

NEW YORK—Together with local agencies and city officials in a press conference at City Hall, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today officially launched its ASPCA Partner Community program in Albuquerque, N.M. in an effort to save the lives of more at-risk and homeless pets through a collaborative effort called The ASPCA Partnership.

The ASPCA Partnership includes the following Albuquerque-area animal welfare agencies: City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department (an open admission public shelter); and Animal Humane New Mexico (a private, non-profit animal welfare agency).

“Today is a landmark day for our new partners in Albuquerque and for the community’s animals,” said Karen Medicus, Senior Director of Community Initiatives for the ASPCA. “We’re about to embark on a multi-year, multi-faceted partnership with these organizations, all with the overarching goal of sparking positive change in the lives of animals in our communities.”

The ASPCA Partnership will include annual planning meetings with Albuquerque partners to determine and monitor goals, strategies and needs. It also includes a grant allocation process, where partner agencies will have the opportunity to apply for substantial grants to address the community’s needs and implement targeted, sustainable programs aimed at increasing live outcomes for animals. The agencies will also have access to ASPCA resources, expertise and guidance, as well as strategic planning support, statistical analysis, training, and participation in ground-breaking research projects.

“We are proud of the progress we have made in the past few years and are excited about working even more closely with the ASPCA and Animal Humane,” said Barbara Bruin, director of the City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department.

“Animal Humane is proud to have been selected, together with the City’s Animal Welfare Department, by the ASPCA to participate in their prestigious Community Partner Program,” said Peggy Weigle, Executive Director at Animal Humane New Mexico. “The ASPCA’s investment in our community will help us extend our success in reducing euthanasia and increasing our community’s Live Release Rate for the pets we serve.”

Last year, approximately 27,000 homeless animals entered the Albuquerque partner agencies. Aside from overcrowding in its shelters, some of the other challenges facing Albuquerque are the need for more lost animals to be reunited with their owners, an increase in targeted spay/neuter, and more pet adoptions.

Since 2007, the ASPCA has been lending its support, financially and through training and other human resources, to communities around the country with the goal of helping them save more animals. The ASPCA’s work focuses a collective effort on sustainable, data-driven plans and programs that engage the community in providing positive outcomes for these animals. Since the ASPCA began its Partnership program in 2007, more than one million animals have been adopted, returned to owners, or spay/neutered as a result of the exceptional collaboration among partner agencies in each community.

In addition to Albuquerque, N.M., the ASPCA’s current Partner Communities are Charlotte, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Miami-Dade County, Fla.; and Sacramento, Calif. The ASPCA’s investment in these partnerships—in the form of direct grants, capacity-building, training, ASPCA staff expertise, and strategic planning—varies from a one- to five-year period to address homeless animal issues in each community.