There are so many different organizations large and small working in different ways to help animals in need. Janet loves the smaller groups that operate on very tight budgets and give their all to help animals in need. But, larger groups do very important work and have the capacity to help more animals. Also vital are organizations that provide legal counsel in animal cruelty cases and work on legislation to pass tougher animal cruelty laws. Janet encourages you to cast a wide net and find organizations to support that are of interest to you. Your local animal shelter is a good place to begin.

Currently, Janet is supporting these organizations:

Peace Ridge Sanctuary
Peace Ridge is a state-licensed, nonprofit sanctuary located in Brooks, Maine. It is currently home to over 370 rescued farmed animals and equines that come from all types of situations where they have been neglected, exploited, or abused. We focus on helping the hardest to place animals – those for whom Peace Ridge is their only chance of survival.

Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA)
MSSPA takes in abused and neglected horses and provides all necessary medical care and feeding to restore them to health. The horses are trained and made ready for adoption into loving and forever homes.

Dogs Deserve Better
Dogs Deserve Better is a voice for chained and penned, abused and neglected dogs. They rescue dogs of all breeds, all ages, all medical issues, and provide the love, medical care, socialization and training they need to be happy, healthy and loving companions.

DDB is based in Virginia on the property that had belonged to Michael Vick who, in 2007, was convicted of running a dog fighting operation on his property and was sent to prison. Over 70 dogs were rescued. Isn’t it wonderful that this same property is now used to restore and rehabilitate other abused dogs!

Harmony Fund
The Harmony Fund is on a mission to rescue the animals others deem unreachable. Their partnerships across the globe are aimed at growing some of the most effective and courageous animal protection projects in the world. Working largely in impoverished communities, they aim to bring peace to animals living in places once absent of hope.

Soi Dog Foundation
Soi Dog Foundation was established in 2003 in Phuket, Thailand and is legally registered in many different countries, including the U.S. Its mission is to help the street dogs and cats who have no-one else to care for them. Over 70,000 strays roamed the island of Phuket, with the numbers growing alarmingly due to a lack of spay and neuter programs to control the population. In addition to spaying and neutering, the Foundation provides vaccinations, medical treatment, sheltering, and adoption. They also do courageous work trying to stop the dog meat trade.  In 2020, John Dalley (the founder) was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II  for services to animal welfare in Southeast Asia.

Animal Wellness Action
Animal Wellness Action works to prevent cruelty to animals through the legislative process. They work with many different animal welfare organizations to promote relief from cruelty.

Animal Recovery Mission
Animal Recovery Mission carries out undercover investigations to expose animal cruelty and brings that information to the public.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. They also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domestic animals. PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

Animal Legal Defense Fund
The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
Since 1985, the PCRM has worked tirelessly for alternatives to the use of animals in medical education and research and for the use of more effective scientific methods. Our efforts are dramatically changing the way doctors treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. By putting prevention over pills, doctors are empowering their patients to take control of their own health through plant based diets.

Other worthy organizations

There are organizations all across the country worthy of support, but here are just a few:

Best Friends
The mission of Best Friends Animal Society is to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. We do this by helping end the killing in America’s animal shelters through building community programs and partnerships all across the nation. We believe that by working together we can Save Them All.

Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue
Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue was formed to facilitate the rescue of draft and draft-cross horses from slaughter, abuse, and neglect.

Oscar’s Place Adoption Center & Sanctuary
Oscar’s Place is a donkey rescue organization. In addition to suffering neglect and abuse, the world donkey population is being decimated because of the demand for their hides that are used in the creation of a traditional Chinese medicine. 

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue
Mark and Amy Meyers started the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue as a backyard hobby over a decade ago. After purchasing their first donkey Izzy as a pet, the Meyers’ began to notice other donkeys in their community that were in various stages of abuse and neglect. Not knowing exactly what to do, Amy began buying up these donkeys and Mark spent his evenings talking to the donkeys and fixing their various ailments. It was after the 25th donkey came into the Meyers’ home that they decided to open an actual Rescue so that they would be able to find safe, loving homes for their donkeys.

Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue (TPDR)
TPDR is a Michigan based non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of miniature, standard and mammoth donkeys. Through the rescue, we promote the humane care and proper training of these long ears. We strive to provide the public with a better understanding of their true nature.

Tomten Farm and Sanctuary
Tomten Farm and Sanctuary is a non-profit organization located in New Hampshire. They provide sanctuary to horses, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, dogs, rabbits and more. They are dedicated to providing peace, protection and possibility to animals in need. Helping animals, helping humans and making dreams come true one life at a time through rescue, sanctuary and education.