You’re our real-life superhero! Without you, and animal lovers like you, we couldn’t have accomplished all that we did in 2023 for animals in need.

While you may not be able to witness the amazing outcomes you helped to create, we hope you know just how powerful your impact has been.

That’s why we want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU! Your support truly means the world to us—and to the animals we serve. So, if you need a reminder on why you should feel proud to support the ASPCA, here are 10 inspiring things you helped make possible for animals this year.

In early June, we assisted in the rescue of nearly 90 dogs and puppies from a breeding operation in Wisconsin where the animals were found living in unsanitary conditions. Just two months later, in August, we were on the ground in Texas with temperatures nearing 110 degrees, assisting in the rescue of nearly 150 dogs and cows from a property southwest of Dallas. Just one month later, we deployed again, this time to Louisiana to assist with the rescue of nearly 200 dogs and cats living in filthy and dangerous conditions.

In all cases, we assisted in the removal and care of the dogs, operational planning and transport, evidence collection and crime scene processing, investigative and legal support, forensics exams and behavior evaluations. Many of these animals were also transported to our Cruelty Recovery Center in Ohio for additional treatment and care.

After being found in a trash can, a severely emaciated pup named Nikolas, was brought into our care where he was placed on a refeeding protocol to help him recover. Following months of care and TLC, Nikolas was adopted into a loving home and is now living his best life with his dad and a kitty sister!

In March, we quickly mobilized to provide critical support for impacted animals after devastating tornadoes swept through Mississippi and Alabama. Our disaster response team assisted with evacuation, emergency sheltering and search-and-rescue efforts, distributing pet food and supplies to families impacted by the storm, and helped to clean up Amory Humane Society’s shelter, which sustained severe damage.

In September, our National Field Response team mobilized again to Hawaii after receiving a request from the Maui Humane Society following the catastrophic wildfires that devastated Lahaina. Our team assisted with animal search and rescue, brought found animals to receive critical care, provided food, shelter and water for animals whose owners have been hospitalized and distributed critical supplies to pet owners in the community.

Days later, our disaster response team deployed to Florida to provide critical support for impacted animals following Hurricane Idalia. We assisted with pet food and supply distribution, donation of emergency relief equipment including generators, fans and fuel, emergency sheltering for displaced animals and field efforts such as feeding in place and animal search and rescue as needed in multiple counties.

In June we announced a significant achievement by caring for our 10,000th kitten through the ASPCA Kitten Foster Program in Los Angeles. The 10,000th kitten, Delta, entered our foster program when she was only five days old after being found alone near a major freeway in Los Angeles. After spending a few weeks in foster care with her devoted foster, Maggie, Delta was transferred to the Oregon Humane Society to find a loving home!

In October, Governor Newsom signed not one but TWO critical animal-protection bills into California state law. California’s new veterinary telehealth law will empower licensed veterinarians in the Golden State to host appointments with new and existing patients using video technology. Additionally, California’s disaster preparedness and sheltering law will help prevent life-threatening situations by requiring local governments to designate pet-friendly emergency shelters for use during natural disasters and extreme weather events.

6. After surviving the unthinkable, Hagrid found his first-ever home!

Hagrid was one of the nearly 300 Caucasian Shepherd-type dogs we helped rescue from alleged cruelty in Pahrump, Nevada, last September. Having likely never been treated with kindness, Hagrid was showing signs of extreme fear. To help him gain confidence and feel more comfortable around people, he was transferred to the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in North Carolina, where he made incredible—or should we say magical—progress in just 13 weeks.

Hagrid has since been adopted into a loving home with a canine sister and enjoys all the belly rubs he could possibly want!

The ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC) in Oklahoma celebrated a HUGE milestone: we have helped 500 horses since the program’s inception in 2019! A sweet Miniature gelding named Charlie Brown was lucky horse number 500.

In May, we celebrated the five-year anniversary of the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center (BRC), a first-of-its-kind facility in Asheville, North Carolina, dedicated to the study and rehabilitation of homeless dogs suffering from severe fear and undersocialization.

Every year since its inception, the BRC has celebrated animal success stories as once shut down, fearful dogs graduate go on to find loving homes. Like Baltimore, one of our more recent BRC graduates, who came to us displaying extreme signs of fear, always keeping 20 feet of distance between her and a new person. With lots of hard work from both Baltimore and our Behavior Specialists, Baltimore graduated from the BRC in just seven weeks and went on to find a home with two doting adopters and a canine sister named Rosie!

In February, we celebrated a significant milestone of having officially given more than $200 million in grant funding to over 3,500 animal shelters, municipal and governmental agencies, rescue groups, universities and other mission-aligned organizations and programs nationwide.

10. U.S. Supreme Court upheld Prop 12.

Despite heavy pushback by the pork industry, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld California’s Proposition 12 as constitutional. Proposition 12 was a ballot measure passed by California voters in 2018 and illustrates consumer demand for more humanely produced animal products.

The Supreme Court ruling affirmed the ASPCA’s arguments that states may pass laws to protect the health and welfare of animals and that Prop 12 does not create a substantial burden on interstate commerce. This victory offers hope that the cruel confinement of animals on factory farms can finally come to an end.