2025- A year of profound loss and incredible progress

While 2025 brought many remarkable accomplishments for Gateway Pet Guardians, it was also the most difficult year in our organization’s history.

On April 29, we lost Dr. Sarah Frei. Having to tell our staff that she had suddenly passed was the most heartbreaking moment of my career. Sarah was not only a colleague, but a dear friend, a trusted veterinarian, and a deeply compassionate force within our organization. Her love for this work was unmistakable, and even in our grief, we knew she would want us to continue the mission that meant so much to her. We did, though it was incredibly hard and I still miss her every day.

In the months that followed, something extraordinary happened. Veterinarians and animal welfare groups reached out, offering their time and support during our time of loss. Two of our relief veterinarians fell in love with Gateway Pet Guardians and chose to stay, and ultimately we were able to hire an additional full-time veterinarian. It truly felt as though Sarah sent them our way to help carry us through. We are endlessly grateful for the love, dedication, and heart she poured into this organization.

In November, we expanded our public clinic to four days per week and doubled our veterinary staff hours, allowing us to serve more owned pets than ever before. We broke records across nearly every program; our highest number of intakes, adoptions, returns to owners, and transfers to rescue partners in GPG history. We also spayed and neutered more community cats than ever before, while surpassing our owned pet spay/neuter numbers from previous years.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we secured critical funding for long-overdue operational improvements, including solar panels, a new transport van, HVAC systems in spaces that had gone without for five years, and a beautiful new pet housing suite. Despite economic uncertainty, we are proud to share that Gateway Pet Guardians has maintained positive and stable financials for the past four years, which positions us to continue moving forward with strength and purpose.

This year was filled with both profound loss and incredible progress. Through it all, our staff, volunteers, fosters, and supporters stood beside us with unwavering compassion and commitment. We could not have made it through without you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being part of the Gateway Pet Guardians family. Wishing you a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous 2026.