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ABOUT US
Keeping Pets With Their People
Ruff Haven Crisis Sheltering was founded in 2020 by a group of four animal-loving friends who met while volunteering at various animal welfare organizations in Salt Lake County. After working with many people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable populations they saw a tremendous need for temporary crisis sheltering services in the community. They believe the future of animal welfare will strongly focus on pet retention and keeping pets with their people whenever possible. The co-founders recruited several other passionate people involved in both animal and human welfare organizations to join their Board of Directors. Ruff Haven Crisis Sheltering understands animal welfare is not only about serving pets but also about serving people. We believe animal welfare IS human welfare.
Learn about our accomplishments from our 2022 Annual Report.
OUR MISSION
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Our mission is to provide a temporary safe haven for companion animals in order to keep pets and their people together in times of crisis, increase pet retention, and decrease the number of animals entering the shelter system.
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Respect- We treat the people and pets we serve with kindness and dignity. We strive to provide a non-judgmental environment where people feel safe entrusting their beloved pets into our care.
Community- We provide services to underserved and vulnerable people in our community in order to remove barriers to keeping their well loved pets in their homes. We collaborate with other animal and social welfare agencies to provide wrap-around services to those in need. We also engage and rely on members of the community to volunteer, foster, and provide financial support.
Empowerment- We believe people are the experts in their own lives and trust them to be able to make the best decisions for their pets with our guidance and support. We provide tools and resources for our clients to assist them with making informed choices and outcomes for themselves and their pets.
Compassion- We resolve to demonstrate understanding and empathy to our clients and their pets by providing genuine service at all times. We understand people from all backgrounds could experience a hardship regardless of circumstance, and seek to give attention to under-resourced community members.
Quality Care- We are driven by animal welfare best practices and evidence-based models when providing services to the pets in our program. Our top concern is the animal's well-being. We also provide transparent communication to our human clients, ensuring they receive accurate and timely updates about their pets.