Causes: Animal Protection & Welfare, Animals

Mission: A non-profit founded in 2001, Rude Ranch Animal Rescue (RRAR) provides sanctuary and care for abandoned, homeless, abused, geriatric, and special needs animals.

Results: Over the last two decades, RRAR has found homes for over 3,000 animals and facilitated the veterinary care and placement of over 10,000 animals more. Sensing community need for low-cost, high-quality spay/neuter, in 2012, RRAR opened Spay Spa & Neuter Nook (SSNN) to serve the Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware area. Since its inception, SSNN has partnered with over 135 animal rescues and shelters, performed over 60,000 spay/neuter surgeries, prevented the birth of over 90,000,000 kittens, and, with our partners, found foster and adoptive homes for close to 100,000 animals. SSNN provides free or low-cost spay and neuter surgeries and veterinary care for low-income families, disabled veterans, low-income community cat caretakers, and seniors that otherwise would not be able to provide care for their pets. One of the primary objectives of the RRAR is to reduce the euthanasia rate of all animals to zero, with particular focus on community or feral cats. To this end, Rude Ranch helped write, introduce, and facilitate the passage of the Anne Arundel County, Maryland Community Cat Bill No. 96-17.This 2018 law prevents Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control (AACACC) from accepting ear tipped cats and establishes guidelines for their care. To leverage law into action, we launched the Spay and Vaccinate Every Cat Program (SAVECats) Program in 2018, working alongside numerous stakeholders including community caregivers, AACACC, Anne Arundel Humane Society, and Anne Arundel SPCA, among others. The goals of the SAVECats project are to: (1) reduce the number of unvaccinated community cats; (2) lessen the transmission of zoonotic diseases; and (3) decrease the number of homeless cats surrendered to AACACC.

Target demographics: animals, dogs, cats, animal shelters, animal rescues, feral cats, community cats, community cat caregivers, low-income pet owners, trap-neuter-return, TNR

Direct beneficiaries per year: 100+ rescue and shelter partners; 6000+ pet owners and clients; 6 different states

Geographic areas served: Maryland, Washington, DC, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia

Programs: spay/neuter; rabies, distemper, lyme vaccinations; dentals; emergency surgeries; veterinary care, services, and products; community cat rescue and TNR; trap rentals; TNR training, outreach, and support;