
Partnership not Punishment
Partnership not Punishment How Moratoriums and Bans on neighborhood breeders endangers community-based sheltering We acknowledge that caring for companion animals within shelters is exhausting, frustrating,
A three percent increase in adoptions among people of color would give 2 MILLION pets a loving home.
97% of Animal Welfare holds an implicit bias against individuals from low socioeconomic status, and over 65% hold implicit bias toward Latin X and African Americans.
The work we do at CARE, Human and Animal Well-Being, addresses the bias within Animal Welfare in service to the field and marginalized people and their pets.
HUMAN AND ANIMAL WELL-BEING [HAW] is a unique, six stage, method of community support and advocacy that centers the well-being of people, in contrast to Animal Welfare’s traditional animal only focus. Few organizations work in the same way as CARE. As illustrated below, we start with building trust with community members before attempting to implement programming.
Our work begins with establishing trusting relationships within marginalized and underserved communities.
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We ask those closest to community challenges for their insights by way of Community Participatory Research [CPR]
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Insights gains from CPR and other studies guide CARE’s program design, partnerships, and resource distribution.
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Community Animal CARE is a shelter intervention program that supports communities with pets and their Proximate Leaders.
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Everything we learn from our community partners and research studies is hosted and shared through The Circle of Learning and Leadership.
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People of Color and marginalized communities suffer from negative stereotypes. Our Narratives tell a truer and more beautiful story about them.
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Our programs and their missions
FEATURED SPEAKER: Come see Amy Jin Johnson on Tuesday at The Gathering. She is conducting a workshop addressing bias and how that shows up, why it does and tools to address and mitigate bias in your work.
Amy Jin Johnson (she/her) is the Executive Director of Project Implicit, where she helps organizations turn research on implicit bias into practical tools for change.
Known for bringing clarity to complex topics, Amy guides leaders from uncertainty to informed, actionable decisions. Her work spans keynotes, conference panels, large-scale facilitation, and strategic consulting, partnering with leadership teams, departments, and community groups. With a focus on building trust and promoting dialogue, Amy moves individuals and organizations from awareness to action, aligning decisions with values in ways that are measurable and lasting.
Before joining Project Implicit in 2019, Amy helped to launch two startups, led a nonprofit digital marketing team, edited two international academic journals, curated four museum exhibitions, and lobbied on Capitol Hill in support of the arts and humanities. This breadth of experience allows her to bridge disciplines and translate research into real-world impact.
Amy holds degrees in History from Kalamazoo College (B.A.) and American University (M.A.), and in American Studies from Brown University (M.A.), where she is currently completing her Ph.D. Her research examines race, space, immigration, and the formation of Los Angeles’s Chinatown in the late 1890s.
Rooted in a deep commitment to equity and inclusion, Amy blends academic rigor with practical insight. She believes bias isn’t just a problem to solve; it’s a pattern to unlearn, one decision at a time.
#thankstomaddie #humanandanimalwellbeing #CAREgathering2026
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FEATURED SPEAKER: Akisha Townsend Eaton
Wednesday, May 13th
Policy Breakdown of the Philly Backyard Breeding Bill.
Learn about what exactly the 600 page legislation is saying they will enforce and how it could affect the Philly community. We hope to have the authors of the bill there to answer all questions.
Akisha brings over a decade of animal law and policy experience to her current role as Chief of Policy, Environmental Justice Division at CARE. Prior to joining CARE, she worked as a managing attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund and as legislative attorney and policy advisor at various other national and international animal protection organizations. Akisha is an AmeriCorps alumni and is currently an active contributor to the Black Appalachian Coalition (BLAC) as well as the legal redress, environmental justice, and economic development committees of her local NAACP chapter, which recently awarded her the Prince and Cora Mack Humanitarian Award.
Akisha has contributed to numerous publications. Her most recent chapters have appeared in the Palgrave Handbook of Animal Ethics, Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists and People, Pets, and Policies: Towards Community Supported Animal Sheltering. She served as a consultant editor and contributor to the Journal of Animal Ethics and associate editor for the Journal of Animal Law.
She is a former contributor for the Huffington Post and the Dodo and former Diversity Vice-Chair for the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee within the Tort, Trial, and Insurance Practice Section. She is a Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
#thankstomaddie #CAREgathering2026 #humanandanimalwellbeing
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🐶 Pets over 7yo enter a new stage of life where their care needs begin to shift.
Just like people, aging pets benefit from more attentive wellness monitoring and early detection of health changes.
💊 Preventive care for senior pets helps catch issues before they become serious. Routine exams and baseline bloodwork allow veterinarians to track trends and spot concerns early.
Vaccines still matter, but senior care is about balance. Working with your veterinarian helps ensure your pet receives the right mix of protection, screening, and comfort as they age.
🧡 Community Animal CARE (CAC) includes sharing information so we can prevent, treat at home and know when to call a Vet. Sharing is CARING.
#sharingiscaring #thankstomaddie #communityanimalCARE #petsandpeople
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⚖️ In a landmark decision on March 26, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life without parole for felony murder is unconstitutional under the state constitution`s prohibition on "cruel punishments."
An article from the Center for Constitutional Rights @ccrjustice reports that the first time since 1790, Pennsylvania`s courts have ruled that state constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment offer broader protections than the federal Eighth Amendment. The court stated that sentencing someone to life in prison without assessing their individual culpability is disproportionate and cruel.
🏛️ Derek Lee challenged his automatic life sentence for a robbery where another person committed homicide. After serving over ten years, he and over 1,000 others serving life sentences for felony murder will be eligible for resentencing. The ruling takes effect after a 120-day stay for the legislature to respond.
🔑 Key points include:
– Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of Death by Incarceration (DBI) in the world, with over 5,200 individuals serving life without parole.
– Philadelphia has the highest number of local DBI sentences globally.
– Over 70% of those affected by the ruling are Black, highlighting significant racial disparities.
– Nationwide, more than 50,000 individuals are serving DBI sentences.
⭐ This victory follows decades of advocacy from various organizations and those affected by these sentences. Derek Lee expressed gratitude for the support of others incarcerated, while his mother, Betty Lee, emphasized his potential as a role model upon his return to Pittsburgh.
This ruling offers hope to over a thousand families and marks the beginning of a renewed fight to abolish Death by Incarceration. It`s now up to the General Assembly to ensure that those serving these sentences can return home.
🔗 Read the full article using the link in our bio:
#CARENews
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The all mighty O`Jay`s recorded the classic single "Brandy" in 1978.
Few then or now, know the song was about a beloved dog.
Inspired by the song and the ground breaking work of Michelle Whitney, PhD
Understanding Grief Experiences of Pet Loss Among African Americans, our cover of Brandy is dedicated to all the pets we`ve lost and all those Brown and Bonded.
Songwriters: Joseph B. Jefferson / Charles Simmons
Brandy lyrics © Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Thank you:
Michele Whitney, PhD
Wright Way Studios
Sunny Cowell
Justin Taylor
Kamonte Johnson
John Benam
The O’Jays
@eddielevertsr @walterwilliamssr @iamericnolan
If you’re in distress please seek support. #adoptdontshop #adoptapet #puppylove #humananimalbond
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Partnership not Punishment How Moratoriums and Bans on neighborhood breeders endangers community-based sheltering We acknowledge that caring for companion animals within shelters is exhausting, frustrating,

By: James Rodgers, Executive Director of Increased ACCESS PART 1: A child is bitten by a dog in a small community. The injury is

The Impact of a Conversation By: Michelle George, National Director of CAC Operations The impact of a conversation can lead to many things.