Orange County NC Website
20 <br /> Guiding PhiLosophies in AnirnaL WeLfare <br /> • In 2011, the Humane Society of the United States (now Humane World) launched Pets for Life, creating a <br /> nationwide shift in sheltering. <br /> • Prior to this, sheltering professionals generally believed that shelters were better equipped to handle pets <br /> than the community and would remove pets from owners they felt were not deserving of those pets. <br /> • Pets for Life is a social justice movement based on the following: <br /> o Systemic inequity and institutional barriers have created an extreme lack of access to pet resources, <br /> such as affordable veterinary and pet wellness services. These challenges are no different than the lack of <br /> access to healthy food, education, jobs, health care, and housing by underserved communities. <br /> o The deep connection humans feel with pets (the human-animal bond) transcends socio-economic, racial, <br /> and geographic boundaries; no human should be denied the joy, comfort, and benefits of this connection <br /> due to inequity and lack of access to care and resources. <br /> • Pets for Life pushed shelters to enable pet owners, rather than judge them, by providing access to resources <br /> such as pet food, veterinary care, spay/neuter resources, etc. <br />