Animal Protective League

1. To achieve and maintain a high, safe, and humane "Save Rate" and "Live Release Rate" for animals coming into our shelter.

2. To reduce the number of animals whose only option is to come into an animal shelter.

3. To align our facility design with the changing care requirements for animals coming into our shelter (i.e. enrichment, rehabilitation, special medical/support needs) so that their experience is optimized during their stay with us.

4. To build awareness about the Cleveland APL, its animals, services, accomplishments and needs

5. To continuously fulfill our mission of fostering compassion and ending animal suffering through our humane law enforcement program.

1. Through aggressive, progressive animal adoption promotions, collaborative animal transfer efforts, and expanded medical and surgical treatment options through our Second Chance program, the Cleveland APL is providing care to animals that previously would not have been eligible for adoption and finding them new homes.

2. The Cleveland APL is managing or providing alternatives to animal surrender that can be prevented through spay/neuter, TNR, and admissions by appointment for owner-surrendered animals. It is also working with underserved, low-income pet owners in a targeted area to preserve the human-animal bond and decrease animal admissions from that area.

3. The Cleveland APL needs facility improvements that will align our physical spaces with the innovative, lifesaving programs that have been implemented, but are limited by facility design.

4. The Cleveland APL has developed a "My Cleveland APL" campaign through which we are telling the APL's story and raising awareness about our services. Through this initiative, our goal is to increase our impact by telling our community that we're here to help them and the animals we all value.

5. The Cleveland APL employs 3.5 FTE humane agents to enforce Ohio's animal protection laws. They have completed state-mandated training and their appointments as law enforcement officers have been approved by the county probate court. The Cleveland APL has also appointed a prosecutor who specializes in animal cruelty cases. Citizens call our humane investigations hotline, and our humane agents respond, gather information, investigate when appropriate, and assist in the prosecution of cases.

With the support of donors who believe in every animal's right to have a second chance, we have been able to expand our ability to provide veterinary care to animals that previously would not have received treatment due to limited resources. The Cleveland APL employs a highly qualified, compassionate team of veterinary professionals and shelter professionals who are then able to translate donations into the lifesaving care that will meet our strategic goals and mission of fostering compassion and ending animal suffering.

The Cleveland APL is currently performing needs and feasibility assessments to ensure that we have the financial capability to move forward with a capital campaign and needed facility improvements.

The Cleveland APL has achieved 100% placement of healthy, friendly animals. Through our Second Chance program, we now also provide veterinary care to animals with treatable diseases that can be humanely and safely treated. (Healthy, friendly, safely and humanely treatable animals are not euthanized for space or time limits.) The success of this program has been supported by the growth of our foster care program that allows animals to recover in the homes of volunteers. We will continue to seek resources to build on these efforts and expand services to animals whose outcomes may be improved, for example neonates requiring bottle feeding.

Since 2008, the Cleveland APL has sterilized nearly 70,000 animals. We will continue to work to expand these efforts, especially Trap-Neuter-Return efforts in targeted areas for community cats.

The Cleveland APL successfully implemented a managed admissions process through which we are able to plan for the needs of animals that are being surrendered by owners and accommodate them humanely without overcrowding our shelter. We have also implemented project CARE (Community Animal Retention Effort), through which we provide resources to low-income pet owners in a targeted area with the goal of preserving the human-animal bond by reducing the risk of those animals being relinquished to a shelter. We will continue to seek resources needed to sustain this program and expand its reach beyond the targeted areas.

The Cleveland APL has forged successful, lifesaving collaborations with other shelters and rescue groups that are saving more animals. The APL works in partnership with local municipal shelters and other overcrowded shelters that are eliminating euthanasia for space by transferring as many of their animals into our shelter for adoption as possible.

The Cleveland APL is recognized as a thought leader in animal welfare and sheltering. Our CEO has been asked to speak at conferences locally and across the United States on topics such as creative adoption program marketing, managing admissions, and Trap-Neuter-Return programs.

Over the past eight years, the Cleveland APL has implemented a number of innovative and lifesaving programs that are now being limited by the design of our current facility. After completing a needs assessment and feasibility study, we hope to find that we can expand and redesign our animal cares areas to align our spaces with the current level and type of care we're providing to our animals, and provide them with the best experience possible during their stay at the Cleveland APL.