Milwaukee Pets Alive
Dedicated to ending the killing of homeless pets in YOUR Milwaukee Community
About Milwaukee Pets Alive
Milwaukee Pets Alive is a No Kill, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the killing of Milwaukee’s homeless pets through comprehensive programs and resources benefiting and serving the companion animals of Milwaukee first. Our top priority is that all healthy, treatable, and rehabilitatable animals at Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) achieve live outcomes.
Milwaukee Pets Alive focuses on rescuing those animals from Milwaukee animal control that are passed over by other organizations and have no other options for life. They may be shy, scared, injured, aged, ill, differently-abled, need extra resources, or just have been at that facility for too long for whatever reason. All deserve to be loved & cherished. And all deserve time, understanding, patience, and good comprehensive veterinary care to help them get happy, healthy, and reach their highest potential. Their lives are important.
We are continuously assessing the gaps in services and programming in Milwaukee County that continue to result in thousands of homeless pets dying in our community every year. We then fill in those gaps with progressive programming that meets the needs of our Milwaukee companion animals in order to see a day when no more will needlessly lose their lives.
We are 100% Milwaukee pets! By helping Milwaukee Pets Alive, you are helping local, Milwaukee animals in YOUR community. The animals in our program come from Milwaukee animal control ONLY – not from outside cities or states. Our focus is on helping those animals in our own community first. When all of Milwaukee’s homeless pets are safe and none are at risk of dying at our Milwaukee animal control, only then will we extend our services to neighboring communities outside of Milwaukee County.
Our vision is for Milwaukee County to be recognized as one of the safest communities for companion animals in the United States.
Core Values
Animals are Equals (A Life is a Life): No species (human or otherwise) is better, or more worthy, than another species (the belief that someone or something is better than someone or something else is the root of all that is wrong with the world, isn’t it?). Animals are dying by the thousands in our own backyard, their only crime being they found themselves homeless and may be shy, scared, aged, injured, ill, or different in some other way. If humans were dying by the thousands here for the same reasons, we’d be up in arms and it would be on the noon, 5, and 10 o’clock news. A life is a life. Our community’s animals dying is a crisis. Animals should be afforded the same opportunities a human would for adjustment and recovery. Animals are on equal footing with humans in this organization. We won’t stop working for and serving them until the day they are seen as equals by all and the killing stops.
ALL Life is TRULY Precious: All life is precious. Not just those in a scary shelter, displaced from the life and homes they once had, that are happy, rubbing on their cage, and soliciting petting and wanting to play (these animals are actually the exception at a shelter, not the rule), or just those that are young and vibrant, or just those whose bodies and health are perfect, or just those who fit some arbitrary definition of “cute” or “beautiful.” The ones who are shy and scared in the situation they have found themselves in and are expressing those feelings through their only means of communication – their actions, instincts, and body language; the ones that are ill or injured; the ones that are old and whose bodies’ are broken down; the ones who are different – their lives are just as important and just as precious. Animals can come as they are here and be accepted for who they are. All are given time, understanding, patience, respect, love, and care.
Relationships/Community: As we say, it takes a village. From the veterinarians and veterinary specialists that care for our animals, to the pet supply stores that help us with supplies and food, to the local businesses that host fundraisers for us, to the pet pharmacy that compounds and prepares the medications needed by many of our special animals, and many more, there is a team of people working for our animals without whom we couldn’t serve them to the high degree we do. We constantly seek to build more relationships and community partnerships.
MPA Family: From the moment they arrive in our rescue, our animals are forever part of the MPA family. There are a lot of people who love and care for these animals – from the volunteers who fall in love with them the moment they lay eyes on them at animal control and manage and assist with their care while they are in our program, to their foster families who share their hearts and homes with them as members of their own family, to our donors who make it possible for us to provide each and every one with anything and everything they need to get happy and healthy, to our supporters who follow their stories and cheer for them every step of the way, as well as our community partners. This is our MPA family. And we don’t stop loving these animals when they get adopted. Our adopters become a part of the MPA family and stay connected to us to share the next chapter of our beloved animals’ journeys with all those that love the animal they are so lucky to spend their life with.
Animals are Family: Companion animals are family. They are not less than, below, beneath, or any different from human family members and should be regarded, respected, and cared for as such. Family is forever. Through ups and downs, sickness and health, in youth and in age, for better or worse, richer or poorer, highs and lows. Come moving, come job changes, come having a baby or three – come what may. You never give up on or abandon family.
Education: Knowledge is power. Education keeps animals happy, healthy, safe, and with their families. We educate our foster families, adopters, volunteers, and the public on topics ranging from animal care, nutrition, behavior, body language, medical issues, and supply selection. We have a wide breadth of knowledge from rescuing animals with special needs and considerations and want to share it to help all the animals we share our world with! We encourage learning as much as you can about your animal companions and asking questions. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll find the answer.
Everyone has a Story: Humans all have a story and animals are no different. Each animal is an individual, with their own unique past, needs, abilities, experiences, likes, and dislikes. They have quirks. They do funny things. They have routines, but their families always tell us about “the new thing they’ve been doing.” They are ever evolving, just like any living being, and we love to tell their stories and share them! It’s one of our MPA Family’s favorite thing about our organization!
Creativity: Life throws everyone challenges. In rescuing the special population of animals we do, we often encounter things we’ve not experienced before, but we don’t throw our hands up in the air and give up! We replace problems with solutions. When there is not a common solution in place, we get creative (with a dash of MacGyvering thrown in every now and again). No excuses.
Take Care of your Own First (Milwaukee First): If you’ve ever been on a plane, you’ve heard the flight attendant say, “In case of an emergency, put your own oxygen mask on before helping those around you.” Why? Because you can’t help someone else if you yourself are in trouble! There are thousands of animals dying right her in Milwaukee. We are in no position to help other communities if we as a community can’t help those animals just down the street in our own! Taking animals from other communities is a never ending cycle if you can’t teach those communities how to help themselves (and Milwaukee can’t do that until it’s proven it can sustain itself by achieving live outcomes for all healthy, treatable, and rehabilitatable animals of its own at home). We have good programming and resources to help the animals currently losing their lives in our Milwaukee community (and could end it altogether with a lot more help and support – see our foster, donate, and volunteer pages if you want to help us save lives)! Only then can we give other communities a great gift and truly help their animals.
Do you want to help us save lives?
We are 100% volunteer run! From our foster parents, to our folks planning and staffing our events and fundraisers, to the good people running our social media and doing our marketing to spread the word about the special population of animals we are serving, to our Executive Director – everyone is a volunteer and the work we are doing is very important!
Do you want to help us save the lives of Milwaukee’s neediest animals? If so, please contact us! Whether as a foster, donor, adopter, or volunteer, we need your support. Our contact information can be found here. Together we can save lives!