The Washington Animal Rescue League recognizes that many animal welfare facilities within our region and neighboring states are often faced with the challenge of handling more animals than they can care for and place in homes. Due to society's failure to promote and provide—let alone require—accessible spay/neuter services, millions of unwanted animals are turned in to shelters or forced to live on the streets.  The sad fact is that shelters are all too often forced to turn to euthanasia to deal with the pet overpopulation crisis.  What is worse, the biggest burden often lies with those shelters that have the fewest resources.

In response to this dilemma, the League implemented the Shelter Animal Relief Effort (ShARE) in 2001.  Based on the belief that those organizations with greater resources have a responsibility to help alleviate the burden of overtaxed groups, ShARE brings animals from over-crowded shelters to the League.  Here they are cared for until they are adopted to loving, permanent homes.  At any given time, more than half of the animals at the League have been saved from euthanasia at another shelter.  Many of these are “special needs” cases: animals with illnesses, injuries, or other conditions that are beyond the capability of the shelter to treat or accommodate.

Today the ShARE network embraces 13 groups in six different states.  It continues to grow, and the League considers this ground-breaking program a significant step towards making the euthanasia of adoptable or potentially adoptable animals a thing of the past.

If your organization is interested in becoming a partner in the ShARE network, please contact Mary Jarvis, Animal Welfare Manager, at mary.jarvis@warl.org.

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