My name is Cat Suzuki and I am the founder and President of Hounds in Pounds. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for being part of our journey to end the daily killing of thousands of adoptable dogs in the United States. This work has changed my life in unimaginable ways.

Hounds in Pounds is a nonprofit rescue that was founded in 2015 as a grassroots organization. We expected to save a few dogs. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine the horrors that we would be facing, the overcrowded shelters where thousands of dogs are being euthanized, the horrific cases of abuse and neglect that we are asked to save, and the heroism of our team of vets and volunteers who give everything they’ve got to save our dogs. We quickly learned that to do this work, we simply could not sit on the sidelines, we had to throw ourselves in heart and soul, always putting the dogs first.

Now seven years later, we have rescued thousands of dogs, and have become the voice for the voiceless. We take on cases that others have deemed hopeless.

We are facing a crisis in our shelters. Dogs are being turned in to shelters at record numbers. Our shelters are out of room and money. Many weeks, shelters are over their limits by hundreds and are forced to kill healthy dogs. For these dogs we are the difference between life and death. There are not enough hours in the day to rescue all the dogs that need us. Our team spends every waking moment restoring sick, homeless, abused, and neglected dogs to lives of health and happiness; healing them mind, body and spirit

When I reflected on the stories of the thousands of dogs that we have saved, I was overwhelmed with many bittersweet emotions. Each dog’s story represents endless phone calls, texts and emails arranging emergency rescues, thousands of miles of driving to transport them to safety, agonizing hours of waiting while our medical teams work to save their lives. Each dog’s story represents adoption applications and interviews, awareness events and social media campaigns, and hundreds of thousands of dollars provided by our HIP community of donors and supporters, without whom these dogs would have died. They represent all of the broken, sick, and traumatized dogs that are waiting for a miracle, and the tears, frustration and stress that come with saving them. But in the end, each dog’s story also represents all of the love, joy, and fulfillment that comes with enabling our dogs to live happy, healthy lives as beloved family members.

We do not discriminate against ANY breed; that’s because we are a real rescue, and we will help as many dogs as we can. Our primary goal is to get them into loving homes. Our hope is that someday all of them make it out, but we will never forget the ones who do not.

HIP’s programs are entirely volunteer-run and supported solely by the financial support of our donors. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the dedicated work of our volunteers, we can guarantee that the dogs we rescue are never alone, hungry, sick, afraid, or in pain. We are privileged to be working with such a passionate and generous community.

I want to thank every one of you who has adopted, fostered, advocated, volunteered, donated, or transported. Thanks to all of you who have raised awareness about our work, sharing these stories, and helping us save lives. You are our people. We love you all. It is because of all of you, that we believe in miracles.