Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Sherman.
Megan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Funding 4 Fido essentially started from my own personal dog Newman.
I was looking to adopt a Great Pyrenees. I searched local shelters to see what I could find. Garland Animal Shelter had one! I remember leaving work early so I could see him. I searched all over the shelter and couldn’t find him. Staff eventually lead me to a large black dog laying in his own blood. The smell of rotting flesh was so overwhelming. I had never experienced something like that. I didn’t know what to do. I contacted every rescue organization in the DFW area begging them to help.
Finally, I found one that without hesitation went to pick him up. We rushed him straight to the hospital where he stayed over a week. He had necrotic tissue from a neuter gone wrong. I still can’t get that image out of my head.
We spent many months at the Garland shelter fighting for justice. We started going to city council meetings and utilizing the media. Over the course of a year, we worked with the shelter manager to implement stricter policies and better practices.
I would go to the shelter eval a dog, take them home, foster them, and once adopted, I would go back to the shelter and do it all over again. Through all of this, I realized the extent of the animal issues in Texas and Funding 4 Fido was created.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of our biggest challenges has been the legislative side of things. It has been challenging trying to convince legislators, city officials, and even the community to put animal welfare at the forefront. Texas has an old school way of thinking when it comes to this. Animals are seen as property and until they are seen as emotional, living, beings we will continue to see neglect, abuse, and issues surrounding the overpopulation of pets.
Spay and neuter your pets!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Funding 4 Fido story. Tell us more about it.
Funding 4 Fido is unique in the sense we are not a rescue. There are not many organizations in this area that do what we do. We were created for two purposes: to assist in funding medical/behavioral dogs and to work on changing local legislation regarding animal welfare.
As an organization, we are most proud of our newest initiative called S.P.O.T. (Saving Pets On Transport). We take dogs (primarily from the Garland Animal Shelter) and transport them to our rescue partner in Minnesota. The shelters in Texas are overcrowded and often having to euthanize for space. These transports allow animals a second chance at life.
This year we were able to save over 100 animals on transport. We hope to triple that number in 2020!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Absolutely! Just this week we have seen two major wins in animal welfare. Congress passed a bill that makes animal cruelty a federal felony and Prop 10 passed (which allows the handlers of police dogs to adopt them).
In the last two years, we have seen great wins for animal welfare. California is the first state to ban fur and animal-tested cosmetics. They have also banned the sale of pets unless they come from a shelter. Another example is New York has become the first state to ban cat declawing.
New York has become the first state to ban cat declawing.
These are just a few of the things happening for animal welfare. This doesn’t include all of local changes. Many cities are adopting anti-tethering laws and mandatory spay and neuter ordinances.
I imagine a long and hard fight, but ultimately, I predict big wins for animal welfare in the future.
Pricing:
- Spay/Neuter $75
- Heartworm treatment $200-800
- Training $2000+
- Vaccinations $75
Contact Info:
- Website: http://funding4fido.org/
- Email: Funding4Fido@gmail.com
- Instagram: Funding 4 Fido
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Funding4Fido/
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