“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
It is hard to believe but 2018 is fast drawing to a close. As I reflect back upon this year, and think about what the next one holds in store, I am inspired as to the opportunities and am confident to declare that 2019 will be the year for animal rescue.
2019 will bring innovation, inspiration and positive changes for animal rescue
Predicting the future is something I’ll leave to the fortune tellers and followers of Nostradamus. But there are so many positive trends and companies doing good for animals that it’s easy to see how the coming year will be even better than the last.
Technology innovations adorn the animal rescue landscape
Animal rescue seems to have been left behind when it comes to technology. So many animal rescues and shelters do not have the tools and technologies that other small businesses have, in order to compete in our constantly evolving world.
But thanks to great programs like the PetCo Innovation Showdown, there are many new entrants to the animal rescue community seeking to make a positive difference in the lives of animals through cutting-edge solutions and technology. Here’s just a few of our favorites:
- Adopet – There are dozens of animal shelter software companies out there, some free, some, like PetPoint, owned by large for-profit companies intent on monopolizing the marketplace and profiting on the backs of non-profit, mission-based organizations. But Adopet is focused on an area oft-overlooked by many of the shelter software guys.
With their beautiful design and well-designed online experience, Adopet focuses on the adopter’s experience in finding their forever companion from local animal shelters. They entice users to fill out adoption applications by crafting a meaningful interface and then support rescues and shelters to manage those applications from start to adoption. Check them out!
- My Buddy’s Place – You might not think that an online pet food retailer has anything to do with animal rescue, but then you’d be wrong. Sean Downey is the brainchild behind this revolutionary idea where rescues and shelters can earn recurring revenue from what their adopters and supporters buy to feed their pets.
No this isn’t like Amazon Smile where they donate .05% to your cause. My Buddy’s Place donates 6% or 1200x more than Amazon Smile whenever someone shops. And they compete with the big guys by offering free shipping. If you’re going to buy your food online, why not buy from a company supporting rescue?
- PetFBI – Lost animals is an area of animal rescue that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Non-profit sites generally have poor user experiences, and limiting technologies making it difficult when someone loses their best friend.
But PetFBI aims to change that. Custom built and hosted in the cloud on Amazon’s AWS technologies, PetFBI brings technology to the forefront in the lost pet world. They’ve partnered with Doobert and our mobile apps will help you search for lost pets or list a lost pet right into the PetFBI database.
Industry leaders will expand the possibilities for animal rescue
In my role as the caretaker of the Doobert system, I have been lucky to have the opportunity to be interacting with some of the most innovative leaders in animal rescue and sheltering. I’ve been invited to participate in conferences and discussions defining the future and am humble to be able to offer my perspective to seasoned leaders with decades of experience helping animals.
Best Friends Animal Society and Maddie’s Fund may seem relatively new to the industry when you compare them to the Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA, but tenure does not define impact and these two organizations are pressing the boundaries of what’s possible.
- Best Friends is set to release their Live Release Rate map of the U.S. in early 2019, showing on a county by county basis, the live-release-rates for each county across the U.S. Talk about holding people accountable. Now there will be publicly available information, fact-based information, about the success rate of the animal shelters in your city and state. Only the future can tell what the impact of transparency will have when leaders are forced to be accountable for their shortcomings when it comes to animals.
- Maddie’s Fund continues to innovate in the area of education and collaboration providing ongoing research and studies to help the industry understand the bright spots and best practices, and supporting online forums like the Maddie’s Pet Forum where animal rescuers can gather to discuss and share ideas and programs openly without the noise and harassment often encountered with platforms like Facebook.
