Our Programs

Emergency Response & Disaster Relief

In partnership with Merial and through individual donations the Petfinder.com Foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in disaster relief grants since 2003. This year, the Petfinder.com Foundation will deliver more than $1,000,000 in generator grants to 500+ Petfinder.com members.

In 2008, The Petfinder.com Foundation awarded more than $247,000 in disaster relief grants and more than $134,000 in disaster preparedness grants to animal welfare groups across the country.

Paws to Save Pets

In 2005, when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita created a vast and immediate need to help pets impacted by the disasters, Merial launched The Race to Save Pets.

With the help of 3,300 veterinary clinics, the initiative raised more than $1 million in cash and product to aid animal victims. Within a few short months, The Race to Save Pets helped more than 17,000 animals and reunited nearly 3,200 pets with their families.

Today, building on lessons learned in that experience and the understanding that preparedness can mitigate disaster damage, Merial provides ongoing funding to its foundation partners, the Petfinder.com Foundation and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation through the Paws to Save Pets program.

The Petfinder.com Foundation also raises funds for thousands of animal shelter groups through Paws to Save Pets program, supplying equipment and financial assistance so that thousands of pets displaced by disasters have healthier and happier lives.

Some of our work through Paws to Save Pets:

• $1,000,000 in generator grants to 500 plus Petfinder.com members in 2009
•   $135,000 in disaster preparedness grants awarded to 31 organizations in July 2008
•   $200,000 in hurricane relief awarded to 50 groups in 2008
•   $36,000 awarded to 16 organizations following 2008 Midwest flooding
•   Disaster Relief Grants, provided $25,582.82 to assist with relief in times of disaster to
    13 Petfinder.com Members.

IFAW

Animals are often the forgotten victims, caught in the path of a brushfire, snowstorm, flood or fireThe Petfinder.com Foundation has partnered with IFAW, International Fund for Animal Welfare, to help when disaster strikes.

Working with local communities, IFAW steps in to alleviate suffering, save lives and educate for the future.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Petfinder.com Foundation formed a relationship in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulting the IFAW/Petfinder.com Foundation Animal Rescue trailer. The Animal rescue trailer has been in integral part in IFAW’s ability to effectively respond to disasters in the United States and care for affected animals.

IFAW played a vital role in safeguarding the lives of more than 1,300 animals, as a mandatory evacuation in advance of hurricane Gustav set the stage for a massive exodus of both people and their pets. After the storm, IFAW’s team was on site at pick up points to ensure that owners and pets were again linked up and sent home together. Every pet was successfully reunited with their owner.

As Hurricane Ike approached the coast close on the heels of Gustav, the IFAW communi9cations trailer and the IFAW/Petfinder.com Foundation Animal Rescue trailer were stationed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a relative secure staging staging area only a short drive from where Ike was expected to make landfall. Following landfall, there was significant flooding in the coastal area of Western Louisiana and IFAW conducted search and rescue operations. IFAW then worked with local groups to consolidate shelter operations into one centralized place to ease reunions.