How we’re helping companion animals all over the world
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s heartwarming to reflect on how our teams all over the world have helped companion animals. Through innovative programs, passionate partnerships and unwavering commitment, we’ve made significant strides in improving the lives of animals and their communities from Latin America to Europe, Africa to Asia.
Expanding access to care
This year, we deepened our focus on equitable access to veterinary care, a cornerstone of companion animal welfare. Across Latin America, we are reaching animals who might not otherwise receive veterinary care. In underserved areas of Aguascalientes, Mexico, one of our newest initiatives reached nearly 1,500 animals with preventive care, vaccinations and lifesaving surgeries. This initiative not only addressed immediate health needs but also empowered local communities. In Chile, we assembled our very first dedicated mobile veterinary team in the region, to help deliver care and services to animals across the country. In Bolivia, we continued providing access to affordable, high-quality spay/neuter services in the capital of La Paz.
In South Africa, we teamed up with local partners for our Healthy Animals, Healthier Communities project, which helped provide care to more than 2,000 animals in need in the underserved communities of Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape.
In Romania, a country that’s home to hundreds of thousands of free-roaming dogs, we supported local partners to expand access to lifesaving veterinary services for community and companion animals in some of the most isolated, impoverished and underserved areas through our Compassion for Companions program. We ended the year in Romania by hosting the first-ever roundtable on dog population management in the Romanian Parliament, a testament to changing attitudes toward street dogs in the country.
In Romania, our European colleagues hosted the first-ever roundtable on dog population management in the Romanian Parliament, a testament to changing attitudes toward street dogs in the country.
In India, our mobile animal clinic in Hubli Dharwad is the only veterinary service for community cats and dogs. It has provided lifesaving treatment and surgeries to over 1,200 animals in this year alone.
A significant part of expanding access to care is creating a future in which veterinary care is more easily available, and that’s where expanding veterinary training comes in. Currently, around the world, limited access to veterinary training poses a significant barrier to ensuring that dogs and cats receive the care they deserve. Strengthening the skills and capacities of local veterinarians and partners is essential for creating lasting change. Our veterinary training programs are active in Bolivia, Mexico and India, each achieving meaningful milestones in 2024. In Bolivia, our Latin American Veterinary Training program reached a historic milestone with its first-ever national endorsement by the National Veterinary Board of Bolivia, elevating its recognition and impact. In India, we launched a nationwide Training and Capacity Building Initiative to enhance the effectiveness and humaneness of government-led dog management programs.
Judith holds her cat, Tamika, at a clinic in San Antonio, La Paz, Bolivia, where a low-cost, high-quality spay/neuter clinic is offered as part of our regional veterinary training program.
Transforming street dog and cat population management
India, home to over 70 million street dogs, continues to benefit from our leadership in humane population management. In Lucknow, the bustling capital of Uttar Pradesh, we achieved a remarkable milestone—spaying, neutering and rabies vaccinating over 85,000 dogs. In the only statewide program of its kind, we have sterilized over 50,000 street dogs across 10 cities and towns of Uttarakhand. Central to the program’s long-term success is community engagement, fostering humane behaviors and improving dog welfare. In the cities of Lucknow, Dehradun and Vadodara, 3,500 children participated in dog behavior workshops aimed at preventing dog bites, while more than 100 neighborhoods joined our initiative to support spay/neuter and vaccination programs for street dogs in their areas. In Lucknow alone, complaints from residents about dogs decreased by 14% between 2023 and 2024. These achievements underscore the impact of collaboration among governments, veterinarians and communities, creating healthier and safer environments for both people and animals.
In 2024, we expanded efforts to help community cats. In Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, we partnered with the state government, the local veterinary association and the German animal welfare group Deutscher Tierschutzbund to support a trap-neuter-return program for community cats, as a model for sustainable, humane cat interventions in Europe.
Establishing trust
All over the world, we have established ourselves as a trustworthy partner for local organizations and governments seeking humane and sustainable solutions to companion animal challenges. We offer governments and communities proven, data-driven models designed to address issues effectively while ensuring humane practices, such as avoiding culling as a method to manage street dog and cat populations.
In 2024, our Monitoring, Evaluation, Impact Assessment team provided scientific recommendations to strengthen ongoing street dog population management programs for major Indian municipalities including Mumbai and Rajkot. We conducted dog and cat population surveys in Romania’s Ilfov County recently, supported new initiatives in Mexico and South Africa, and provided strategic guidance to organizations in Egypt, Colombia, Guam and Thailand, sharing a decade of expertise.
These successes are a testament to the dedication of our teams and partners across the globe. Together, we’ve reached tens of thousands of animals with lifesaving care and inspired communities to embrace compassionate approaches to their well-being.