CARES Clarksdale Animal Rescue Effort and Shelter is aptly named, as it is a shelter that truly cares. When asked what they are doing that is driving their success, tabi and Anita talked about three things. First, transparency about their debt, their intakes, and their problems. “They see what we see,” Gabi told us. The shelter belongs to the community, and they trust that community with the truth about the situation. The second thing they are always be kind and receptive. “People need to be heard. They need to know someone cares.” The staff responds to every request for help, every inquiry, every call. And the third thing is harnessing the power of social media. Anita posts on all the platforms with stories, requests, information, pictures, and videos. This enables them to find help not just in Clarksdale, but beyond.

Teresa began at the shelter, its live-release rate was only 25%. Euthanizing animals was part of her job, but it broke her heart. When the Humane Officer position opened, she jumped at the chance to change the narrative. Committing not to euthanize for space means the shelter often houses dogs for months or even years. It’s a challenging situation that is all too familiar in too many places. Turning away dogs at municipal shelters seems inconsistent with the mission of animal services, yet many shelters still do so.