Since then, others – including a visionary Wags & Whiskers board of directors, team of volunteers, and enthusiastic community stakeholders – have stepped forward with passions of their own and a desire to pursue this dream together.

Robert – a former Animal Advisory Commissioner for the City of Austin and founder of Austin Pet Month – recalled hearing heartbreaking stories of people who had to surrender their pets to animal shelters because the pet owner was temporarily ill or needed hospitalization and had no one to care for their pet while they were sick. Wags & Whiskers board members heard similar stories. Stories also were shared about people refusing to get their own needed medical care because they refused to surrender their beloved pet to a shelter, often with tragic outcomes for the pet owner.

The Wags & Whiskers team believed those who are sick, facing hospitalization or recovering from surgery should not have to abandon all hope of seeing their best friends again because they had no one to temporarily care for their pet.

Robert and the rest of the Wags & Whiskers board determined that no pet owner should ever have to choose between their own health and keeping their pet. Instead, pet owners should have peace of mind and a positive mental state going into hospitalization, surgery or sickness, knowing their pet will be lovingly cared for until they can be re-united.

Thus, Wags & Whiskers’ vision and mission were born:

Vision: Pet owners who face temporary illness will have peace of mind knowing their pets will be cared for.

Mission: To provide peace of mind and temporary placement for pets of people facing illness.

JOIN THE CAUSE

With your help, this dream of preserving precious relationships between pets and their owners will become a life-saving reality for more and more pets and their people.

To learn more, donate or volunteer, go to www.wagscare.com.