Welcome to the first issue of our summer newsletter series! We're happy to share what we've been up to so far this year. Featured is a new initiative we co-founded in response to the shelter crisis in Los Angeles.

At the time of writing, the six LAAS (Los Angeles Animal Services) shelters are 681 dogs over capacity. South LA shelter alone is approximately 200 dogs over capacity. Yes, you read that correctly. Shelter staff and volunteers are doing their best with limited resources. The immediate need is to get as many dogs out as possible through fostering and adopting. We believe the City of LA needs to do much more to alleviate the crisis, but government moves slowly.

To address the crisis, Blue Man Dog, A Purposeful Rescue, and shelter volunteers are piloting FosterSLA. The initiative provides all the support needed for a successful foster experience, including:

Everyone involved in FosterSLA is committed to making this work and getting as many dogs out of the shelter as possible. We're pleased with the results so far - 40 foster applications, six dogs out on foster and several are adopted weekly. Due to our networking efforts and increasing social media presence, local rescue organizations have pulled over 20 dogs. 

This is a true community venture and a step in the right direction. We still need more people to step up and foster and adopt, so help get the word out!