When the New Year Brings in Celebrating 20 Years

As we start this new year, I have been reflecting on the incredible journey we've shared over the past 12 months. It has been a year of challenges, triumphs, and heartwarming moments and we have so much to look forward to now in 2024, which is our 20th year in operation! I would like to take a moment to update you on our endeavors and express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support.

While 2023 brought heartbreak - from pet owners losing their housing, a large increase in stray and roaming pets, and the shelter consistently being filled to the brim with adult dogs -  we also had many victories. We saw 50% more lost pets returned to their families and we began hosting walk-in, sponsored adoptions for the first time ever, which increased our adoptions to our service area by 70%.  

We received many awards and accolades including being named in the top three St. Louis area charities in the STL Post Dispatch Headliner Awards as well as receiving the national honor of being named the Best Medium Sized Charity in the Charity Navigator Community Choice Awards! I was chosen to speak at the Best Friends Animal Society National Conference regarding our work in leading the animal welfare field in progressive adoption programming and received the Learning Lives Forever Award from Best Friends Animal Society.

This year is an incredibly exciting time for GPG as we celebrate our 20th anniversary! We have so many exciting plans for this special year including expanding our low-cost veterinary clinic through the PetSmart Charities Accelerator Program, hosting many wonderful events and fundraising campaigns, and unveiling a beautiful new pet memorial wall to celebrate those who have left paw prints on our hearts.

I hope you will join us this year in celebrating 20 years of helping pets and the people who love them. We would not have been able to help thousands of pets every year for 20 years without our incredible staff, volunteers, fosters and donors. We are so excited to look towards the future with you!

Wishing you a year filled with love, laughter, and the companionship of your furry friends and hope to see you soon!