Headed South Again on Shelter Tour

This tour will take us to Florida (via NC and GA) for the first time in three years. We are excited to visit the state again and connect with more shelter and rescue advocates. It’s why we travel. While social media is great and websites are informative, the only way to truly understand the situation with any shelter is to go there, meet the people, see the animals, and get a sense of the community.

Visiting with shelter staff, volunteers, and board members at Dublin-Laurens Humane Society

I believe the problem of unwanted animals and pet overpopulation will only be solved at the local level. I can’t fix it from my little cottage in Virginia. Even the national animal welfare organizations, as wealthy and powerful as they are, cannot solve an individual community’s crisis. Only the people who live there can do that. After all, the animals belong to them.

That’s not to say we can’t help. Everyone can help in some way. One goal in traveling to the shelters, and building these relationships, is to offer resources and ideas. Our second goal is to share their stories and invite others to help whether they are near or far.

Another goal, maybe the most important, is to send a message. Too often, animal shelter professionals feel very alone. Our message is – you are not alone and we believe in the work you are doing so much that we’ve come here to see it and to offer our support.

After making nearly 200 visits to shelters and rescues in 16 states, we’ve seen a lot. We can offer stories of other shelters facing similar challenges. We can share ideas we’ve seen work for fundraising, enrichment, volunteers, and most importantly – community engagement.

I wrote in our book that there are three things that will solve any community’s crisis – leadership committed to solving it, affordable veterinary access, and the real key to change—community engagement. It’s critical to creating a shelter that is a community resource, not just a dumping ground.

As part of this tour, we’ll be leading a Stronger Together event in central Florida. Our ST team is working hard to plan a powerful one day event for shelter and rescue volunteers, staff, advocates, and supporters. This event is free and we still have plenty of room. To register click here. You can learn more on our (new) website.

Tour schedule (most, but not all, of these are definite):

WWLDO Shelter Tour

Mon 1/12        Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control, NC

Tue 1/13          Hazlehurst Animal Shelter, GA

Wed 1/14        Bradford County Animal Services, FL

Thurs 1/15       Pasco County Animal Services, FL

Fri 1/16            Florida SPCA

Sat 1/17           9am-3pm Stronger Together Event (Clermont)

Sun 1/18         Sarasota County Animal Services, FL

Mon 1/19        Clewiston Animal Services, FL

Tues 1/20        Edgewater Animal Shelter, FL

Wed 1/21        Jacksonville Animal Services, FL

Thurs 1/22       Moooody Farm Animal Rescue, GA

 The main reason for every shelter visit is to connect with shelter staff, volunteers, and advocates to learn their story and look for ways we (and you) can help. But we also try to bring valuable donations like dewormers, flea/tick preventative, treats, toys, enrichment tools, and more. If you’d like to help fill the WWLDO-mobile, shop our Amazon Shelter Tour Wishlist or make a donation.

You follow the tour in real time on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.

Together we CAN let the dogs out!