The benefits of welcoming a new furry companion into your life through adoption are no secret. Our “Happy Tails” adoption posts on Facebook are full of smiling faces, marking the beginning of a rewarding journey for the adopter and the culmination of a lot of hard work from The Animal League Team. Every year, many pets find themselves at our doors. Some have had to say farewells to beloved owners, others have been abused, neglected or abandoned, but all of them are precious lives, waiting for a second chance to find a loving home. When you choose to adopt, you provide a pet with safety, stability and affection, whilst also enabling an opportunity of rescue for the next dog or cat in need.
Adoption also discourages unethical breeding practices, including large-scale “puppy mills” that prioritize profit over animal welfare. Seeing the condition of these animals, as in a case of nearly 800 puppy mill dogs we assisted, is heartbreaking every time. At The Animal League, all the dogs and cats are treated with love and care, are up-to-date on vaccinations, spayed/neutered, microchipped with registration, and sometimes even trained. This makes adoption both a responsible and practical choice, and sends out an important message to society; helping to shift the focus from selling and buying a pet as a product, to fulfilling mutual needs for companionship.
The benefits of adoption remain true no matter which shelter or rescue organization you choose, but we take pride in the care we provide here at The Animal League, and firmly believe our services are exceptional. Here are some of the qualities that set us apart:
We pull from high-kill, underfunded shelters
The majority of pets that wind up in these shelters are unclaimed working and hunting breeds, puppy mill confiscation and pregnant strays, hoarding cases, and abused pets. We save those who are most in need; the pets with 24 hours left to live, and the injured, diseased, abandoned and abused. A few of these pets may be considered harder to adopt, but when their needs for love, encouragement and medical care are met, they all have the ability to become well-adjusted, loving companions, and their adoption plays a crucial role in enabling us to save more lives.
Our Facilities Are Unique
Our Adoption Center in Groveland sits on 20 acres. We have several on-site units. Our main kennels are attached to our lobby and adoption area. We have a separate New Hope Intake Center on campus where all pets begin their journey. Additionally, we have a separate area comprised of five individual units called the Loos Recovery Center, where we treat the most common shelter ailments on-site (kennel cough, URI, Parvo, Sarcoptic Mange, and Ringworm). We are the ONLY shelter in Central Florida to have such a set up! Lastly, we are excited to have our Forever Hope House on campus. This little cottage, complete with its own yard and porch, houses free-roaming dogs who do not thrive in a kennel environment.
We’re Not Just a Shelter!
In 2015 we opened The Animal League Wellness Center in Leesburg to provide quality veterinary care at low cost. Many of you may also be familiar with The Animal League Thrift Shop in Downtown Clermont. In addition, we have several community programs to help both the two and four-legged citizens of Central Florida. Nourish the Needy is a pet food pantry program that provides pet food to owners who have fallen on hard times. This way, we can ensure that pet owners do not have to choose between paying bills and feeding their furkids. The Neighborhood Pet Program provides free wellness services and tackles pet overpopulation in low-income and high-risk impoverished neighborhoods. Our Junior League program is a day-camp aimed at teaching the rising generation responsible pet ownership and compassion for animals.
Our Hearts Are Even Bigger!
Most importantly, what you would discover if you went undercover at The Animal League is a culture of dedicated men and women who are passionate about rescue. You would find volunteers and staff rocking Parvo puppies to sleep, cradling a senior dog who was just dumped by their owners because they got “too old,” calmly petting the hoarding case dog who grew up in a cage and can’t walk properly, and quietly sitting with the dog who was beaten by their owner and shakes every time a human walks by. They are busy mucking out kennels in the hot Florida sun, driving rescue runs, engaging members of our community at events, and putting their own lives and jobs on the back burner to be a voice for the voiceless.
We are a 501c(3) non-profit rescue
This means we receive zero government, county, or tax-payer dollars. We fund our work through donations. We are also committed to full transparency regarding our allotment of resources. Any and all adoption fees go 100% back to the animals. The Animal League is a GuideStar Exchange Gold Participant. It is wise to check a nonprofit’s spending before choosing them as a recipient of funding. We are proud of our hard work and careful allocation of funds and we encourage you to ask us questions and view our 990 reports.
Fees and Donations Provide For Pets; Not People
While we do have a small skeleton crew of staff members, we have over 200 volunteers, including our Executive Director and President of the Board. She has been a volunteer for over 10 years and has never accepted any kind of pay or reimbursement, but routinely spends her own money to make sure our pets are well-cared for. She has spent over 40 hours a week hands-on at the Center helping the Adoption and Animal Care Teams while also working countless hours behind the scenes with our Marketing, Fundraising, and Admin Teams.
We Are a Humane Society
From arranging intake through to matching up a pet with a new loving family, we are 100% committed to saving lives and striving for best outcomes. The average cost to care for one pet is over $500. We take in many extreme special-needs pets who can require well over $1,000 in care. Some examples of vet bills include blood transfusions, plasma transfusions, amputations, broken bones, tumor removals and/or biopsies, skin infections, mange, demodex, scabies, ringworm, heartworm, high parasite loads, parvo, ear infections, cataracts, stomatitis, and dental work to name a few.
Princess came to us with a dislocated front leg. She had to have it amputated after surgery to repair it was unsuccessful. She also had to have surgery to remove mammary tumors. Princess was a perfect example of all the time, love, and resources that we dedicate to each pet who walks through our doors.
The True Cost of Rescue For Princess
Veterinary Costs
| Anesthesia | $1,469 |
| Hospitalization | $770 |
| X-rays | $565 |
| Bloodwork & Chemistry | $361 |
| Ultrasound | $290 |
| Mammary Biopsy/Cytology & Tumor Removal | $521 |
| Surgery Fee/Fracture Repair | $1,440 |
| Surgery Fee/Amputation & Mammogram | $1,490 |
| Surgical Package Fee (Sutures, IV Fluids, etc) | $1,157 |
| Medications | $664 |
| TOTAL VETERINARY COSTS | $8,727 |
Overhead/Shelter Costs
| Transport | $7 |
| Standard Vetting (Vaccines, Preventative Care, Microchip, Tests, Exam, Spay/Neuter) | $195 |
| Staffing for 2 Months | $534 |
| Housing for 2 Months | $36 |
| Operating Costs & Supplies for 2 Months | $69 |
| TOTAL OVERHEAD/SHELTER COSTS | $841 |
TOTAL COST OF RESCUE $9,568
We truly could not achieve the level of service offered at The Animal League without everyone who supports us in our mission to rescue and care for the dogs and cats. From our dedicated volunteers, to our numerous supporters on social media and out in the community, all of whom engage in our events, fundraise, donate, and raise awareness for the animals that depend on us to be their voice and hope, your contributions and encouragement make an invaluable impact. To all our adopters, thank you for being a vital part of our journey.
Adopter Testimonials
I am so grateful for the work you do. A few months ago my sister and I adopted Charlie. I can’t imagine my life without him he is such a joy. Your dedication to animals saved his life after he had been severely abused. Now this three legged wonder brings joy to our life daily. Thank you for all you do.
Wanda Shaw
I adopted Shamrock “Shammy” from The Animal League and I could not be more grateful for him and the work that’s done there! I’ll continue donating as often as I can, you guys do great work for the pets – as it should be!
Katie Hanson-LaRocka
Thank u for saving Penn who was turned into a kill shelter because “she did not get along with a new puppy.” She is absolutely the BEST dog in the world & will live out the rest of her life being loved.
Kathy Hagglund Rothstein
