Fetching Tails Foundation is a 501c3 non-breed specific rescue based out of Itasca, Illinois. We are committed to saving the lives of our canine companions regardless of breed, age, or physical ability. In the height of the pandemic in 2020 while the rest of the world was shutting down, animal rescue completely blew up. Foster homes and adopters came forward looking to help homeless dogs faster than we could keep up with; local shelters saw lower populations than they'd ever seen before. It was certainly our biggest year since our inception in 2015. Of course we knew we likely wouldn't keep up that momentum forever. But to be honest, we did not expect just how quickly that momentum would die down, and the tables have definitely turned. 2020 may have been our best year to date, but 2021 has been our worst.
Take a look at the statistics below, showing how many dogs we were able to rescue in the same timeframe each year.
| Year | Dogs Rescued (1/1 - 11/1) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 337 |
| 2017 | 291 |
| 2018 | 310 |
| 2019 | 315 |
| 2020 | 579 |
| 2021 | 282 |
Now, let us be clear: we are incredibly proud to have been able to save any dogs at all. We simply want to be transparent with you about the reality of our situation. One would think that with all this forward momentum and years of experience, we'd have more foster homes, more supporters, and more funds for the dogs with each passing year. But the shelters are full again and continue to ask for help, we are struggling more than ever to find foster homes to temporarily house dogs in need (our facility has accounted for 28% of dogs rescued this year thus far), and we are behind by about $100,000 in funds raised as compared to 2020. All of this means we can't save as many lives.
On this #GivingTuesday, we are asking our community for help to turn this ship around. If we can raise more funds to get us back to where we expected to be in 2021, we will not have to be as restrictive in which dogs we can and cannot help. We will be able to carry out future plans that will allow us to make a bigger impact in animal welfare, plans that we are SO excited to share with you, but first need to make them a reality! And of course, word of mouth is huge. If you know anyone who would like to support our mission, please let them know that there are many ways to help! Financial contributions may be the goal of #GivingTuesday, but there are many ways to give! Volunteer to help at our facility, to foster a dog, or simply spread the word. We're always open to growing the FTF Family, and we need you now more than ever! Together, we can take these 2021 lemons and make some lemonade!