Your Exclusive First Look at the Impact YOU Made in 2023

Day in and day out, our teams work tirelessly to create a better world for animals, and thankfully, we have Founders like you by our side. Whether we’re rescuing animals in harm’s way, advocating for stronger animal welfare laws, helping communities in need or finding loving homes for animals looking for second chances, you’ve been there to help make our work possible.

As a special thank you to our Founders for your incredible generosity this past year, we’re sharing a few stories that demonstrate the impact you helped us make for animals across the country in 2023. 
 

Providing Accessible Veterinary Care to Pet Parents Nationwide

In 2023, ASPCA veterinary teams across the country provided expert care for more than 90,000 animals in need. Many of these animals and their owners received care from one of our Community Veterinary Centers (CVC) in Brooklyn, the Bronx, or Miami, Florida, including Rocky and his pet parent, Maria, who received affordable medical care from our CVC in Liberty City, Miami. 

On October 5, Rocky, a small terrier-mix, was hit by a car just outside of his home. In addition to causing cuts and scrapes, the trauma caused Rocky’s left eye to pop out of its socket. Maria immediately brought Rocky to the CVC, where she qualified for financial help from the ASPCA. 

The CVC medical team assessed Rocky and determined he was a good candidate for enucleation, or eye removal. During the procedure, Rocky was also neutered. At his recheck, Rocky’s sutures were removed, and he’d fully recovered. 

“Thanks to the ASPCA, Rocky is doing well and is back to his old self. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” said Maria. 
 

Helping Communities Through Animal Welfare Grants

ASPCA financial grants support organizations and programs that further the mission to prevent animal cruelty to animals throughout the United States. In 2023, we reached the incredible milestone of surpassing $200 million in grant funding to nationwide organizations and animal welfare groups. Last year alone, we gave over $7 million to support nearly 400 animal welfare organizations across the country. Here are two of those grants you helped make possible.
 

Our Work in Oktibbeha

In May, we announced our commitment of $900,000 in grant funding to Oktibbeha County Humane Society (OCHS) in Starkville, Mississippi, to support the opening of the OCHS Animal Support Center by the ASPCA, aimed to increase positive outcomes for animals in the state. 

The Animal Support Center will house the OCHS Snip and Spay Clinic, a stationary spay/neuter clinic for income-qualified pet owners and shelter animals, and the VanLandingham Kennel Building, a hub for the region’s shelter animals to be temporarily cared for before being transported to other shelters for adoption.
 

Northern Tier Shelter Initiative

The Northern Tier Shelter Initiative (NTSI) provides consultations, training and grants to animal welfare agencies in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The NTSI team works to improve the quality of life for companion animals in those regions while collecting and analyzing data to address long-term challenges. With your help, throughout 2023, we provided 76 NTSI grants totaling more than $1 million. In addition, we supported 167 organizations, hosted three virtual webinars and sponsored four state conferences. 

Our partnerships with Native communities help to keep more animals in loving homes through community engagement, preventative services and the provision of resources. You can learn more about this work here.
 

Finding Animals the Loving Homes They Deserve

Rescuing and protecting animals isn’t always easy, but seeing those smiling faces after they’ve been adopted into loving homes makes all our hard work worth the effort. In 2023, we found over 2,100 animals, including dogs, cats and horses, safe and loving places to call home. Here are a few of the animals who, with your support, got second chances in 2023.  
 

Serenity

This past June, Selena C. was on her way home from work when she spotted an extremely emaciated dog sniffing for food in her State Island neighborhood. She called the NYPD, who took the dog to a local emergency hospital where she suffered two seizures. 

The following day, Serenity—as she was named by the emergency hospital—was transported to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center (ARC) for treatment. In our care, Serenity was placed on a re-feeding diet and eventually gained roughly 58% of her intake weight. The team also treated her for skin lesions and starvation-related blood changes, which resolved along with her seizure disorder. 

In the eight weeks she spent with us, Serenity completely transformed and was ready to find a home. She didn’t have to look too hard though, as Selena, her family and their dog, Jovie, were ready to take her in with open arms. 
 

Henri

Henri, a six-week-old injured kitten, was brought to Brooklyn’s Veterinary Emergency Referral Group (VERG) after he suffered a traumatic head injury after an alleged fall. There, he met Dr. Kate Crecraft, who couldn’t help but notice how his sweet personality endured despite what appeared to be an act of cruelty. 

Henri remained at VERG for several days and then was transferred to ARC for further treatment from ASPCA veterinary specialists. After two weeks, Henri had stabilized, and his medication helped reduce his brain swelling. 

Dr. Crecraft hadn’t stopped thinking about the little kitten, so she and her husband then offered to foster Henri, but ultimately adopted him and renamed him Toaster McStrudel Pants. Now, Toaster is a spunky boy who demands attention, frequently gets the zoomies and plays well with the other cats in the home. 
 

Gramps

Katie S. was looking to adopt a pony suitable for her young nieces when she came across a 33-year-old pinto, Gramps, on social media. Though Katie hadn’t considered adopting a senior horse, she decided he was a good fit. 

Gramps had been his previous owner’s horse since childhood, but when circumstances changed and his owner could no longer provide the level of care Gramps had enjoyed most of his life, Gramps’ owner made the difficult decision to relinquish their lifelong friend to the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC) so he could receive the care he needed to thrive in a new home. 

In July, Katie and her sister Brittany drove from their home in Carthage, Missouri, to ETAC in El Reno, Oklahoma—250 miles away—to pick up Gramps. They brought along Katie’s three-year-old niece, Westyn and her big sister, Wyatt, age six. After meeting Gramps, they completed the adoption, loaded him into their trailer and drove him home. Four months later, Katie confirms that Gramps is “a very good boy.” 

Thank you so much for being a Founder’s Society member and helping to make the world a kinder place for animals! We can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together in 2024!