California’s animal-shelter ecosystem is big and busy—about 200 public shelters and ~3,000 rescue groups work every day to help animals in need. As a coalition already uniting 60+ rescue nonprofits, we’re here to champion rescuers: remove barriers, strengthen support, and make collaboration with shelters work better on the ground.

This brief survey is aimed primarily at rescue organizations (shelter staff perspectives are welcome, too). Your answers will help us shape, propose practical, statewide improvements that respect the realities rescuers face.

Our goals are to:

• • Identify real-world barriers that slow or block lifesaving transfers.
    
    
  • Surface what’s working so it can be replicated across California.
    
    
  • Propose simple, effective, transparent policies that raise save rates while removing unnecessary obstacles for responsible rescues.
    
    
  • Deter harm from irresponsible actors without penalizing the many groups doing the right thing.
    
    

Your on-the-ground experience is essential. Responses will be reviewed in aggregate to inform recommendations we’ll share with shelters, policymakers, and rescue coalitions statewide.

Please take the survey and add your voice. Together, we can make collaboration clearer, faster, and fairer—so more animals make it out alive.