Today we’d like to introduce you to Faye Schultz.
Hi Faye, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
SPOT, Saving Pets One at a Time, is an all-volunteer grass roots non-profit organization that saves dogs & cats from the shelters who otherwise may not make it out alive. There are many reasons an animal may not make it out alive; medical, behavior, age, shyness or lack of interest and sadly now overcrowding of shelter animals.
Over 16.5 years ago, we were all volunteers with our local shelter and some of our animals that we had walked, loved and worked with every day were being taken to another campus to be “sorted”. We realized that meant they were taking them to euthanize them. There were 11 dogs that had been taken. Sadly we were not alerted to the true nature of what “sorting” was until the first two dogs were killed. We hired a lawyer, gave them a cease and desist to save the remaining 9 dogs. At that point realized we could do more to help the animals who were at risk for euthanization from the outside vs. the inside, hence SPOT was born. Since our inception we have saved over 8500 dogs & cats.
Amazing for a small group of volunteers- so proud of this team!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Rescue is always a challenge! Not only are you dealing with these beautiful animals who have been discarded, mistreated, ignored, neglected but you are dealing with people too. These animals need help, love, medical attention and training. Some animals may find themselves at the shelter because their person could no longer keep them and family is not able or willing to step up. Some animals come in traumatized from abuse, neglect or seized by animal control for unsafe living conditions. Medical expenses are sky high. Less people are fixing their animals now, so we have an incredible number of litters of dogs and cats. We need to make Spay/Neuter services less expensive and more available to our community. SPOT has been and is committed to helping by sponsoring spay/neuter clinics in our area thru SNAP, Spay Neuter Action Project.
After you do all the work to get animals, healthy (medically, physically & mentally) then you need to find the right family, which can also be a challenge. Even after meeting families and finding the perfect fits, you never know what will happen to these families a few years down the road. We definitely get a percentage of our animals back 5-10 years down the road for a myriad of reasons: divorce, emergency relocations, dog was never trained or managed properly and is now an issue- which is very challenging for us to take in a dog that was adopted as a puppy and never worked with and now has behavioral issues. It is an emotional challenge everyday- highs & lows.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Since we are all volunteers, we all Because we are all volunteers, we have a variety of careers for our “revenue jobs” whereas SPOT is our passion project!?
SPOT is an amazing group of individuals who have come together to help the ones that need it. We are as true grass-roots as it gets. All of the monies we raise go to help our animals. We have no paid position. I love this about us. We are all doing it for the purest reasons.
Nothing makes us happier than creating or adding to loving homes!
What matters most to you?
Finding the perfect match!
These animals have been thru so much by the time we come into their lives. It is up to us to do our best for them. They cannot tell us what they have been thru, what they have seen and endured. We need to go slow and let them trust again. Some dogs just need medical care and love, others are damaged and need to decompress and need to learn about socialization and rules and looking for that leader and guide them so that they can trust people to keep them safe. Each situation and each animal is unique, each needing something just a bit different. We assess each animal and help them in their “uniqueness”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spotsavespets.org
- Instagram: spotsavespets
- Facebook: SPOT Saving Pets One at a Time
- Other: @spot_saves_pets
