WHAT'S NEW! 

We would like to extend a HEARTFELT THANK-YOU to New Mexico Pets Alive! Co-Founder, Kurt Schlough, for creating such a beautiful initial concept drawing for the LifeRaft Lodge AND for his pro-bono pledges of architectural design services (for the LifeRaft Lodge, Albuquerque Pets Alive! and Santa Fe Pets Alive!).  Every monetary donation and in-kind pledge of services, labor and materials we receive, allows us to bring these projects to fruition much more quickly for the benefit of the animals waiting for us to help them.  With Kurt's experience in large scale projects, including university campuses and performing arts centers around the country, our companion animal life-saving campuses are in GREAT hands!

The Next Generation of Animal Sheltering is Taking Root in New Mexico.

Please Join Us!

One of the biggest challenges in companion animal life saving in New Mexico and across America, is a current lack of foster homes and rehabilitation programs for neglected and homeless pets.  Many of them cannot survive or make it out of a shelter alive without such programming being implemented on a large scale.  Unfortunately, a large number of both dogs and cats are inaccurately labeled 'too shy', 'too aggressive' or 'not adoptable' and are never given the resources they need to have a real second chance in life.  Many truly do have special medical and behavioral needs that require dedicated time, energy and programming that most shelters do not offer.  Quite a few others are unfortunately discriminated against because of breed, old age and even color.  With the help of caring staff, volunteers, leading animal foster care and medical and behavioral experts from around the country, New Mexico Pets ALIVE! is creating a unique program to meet this life-saving need for companion animals here in New Mexico and beyond called The LifeRaft Lodge - A Furry Friends Foster Care and Rehabilitation Center.

The LifeRaft Lodge will be a 'life-raft' for homeless pets who have no other options and have been passed over by other organizations and rescue groups. The facility will also be a 'Lodge', with a residential component, where resident volunteers live to assist in the on-site foster care of many of the animals in preparation for helping them to learn how to live in a home and allow them the next level of services to best ready them for adoption. Off-site foster care opportunities will also be utilized where available and appropriate. It has been suggested that we consider the possibly of this Lodge component also simultaneously serving to meet temporary housing needs of some NM families in need - veterans, military families and others who may have been adversely affected by the current economy. This is something we are very interested in exploring further. 

The LifeRaft Lodge is the first program of its kind in New Mexico with only a few similar programs in existence across the United States. Our efforts will not duplicate the life saving and rescue efforts of other groups since we are dedicated to saving only those healthy and treatable shelter pets who have been passed over by other groups and programs and have no other options. This Center will work to meet the needs of companion animals accepted into our program from throughout the state of New Mexico.  We expect the LifeRaft Lodge to serve both people and pets in various capacities, hence the multi-service program description.

On the national level, we expect our facility to offer one of the few animal rehabilitation training centers in the country offering both professional and basic educational programming, serving veterinarians, students, shelter directors/program managers, animal behaviorists, trainers, rescue groups and volunteers from across the US. We are also developing the delivery of online webinar programming which will be accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The goal is to share successful, achievable programming with others so that they may duplicate something similar in their own communities.

On the state level, we expect the LifeRaft Lodge to serve the needs of approximately 20,000 companion animals each year, accepting anywhere from 200 - 400 animals into our program at a time (dogs, cats, horses - although other domestic, companion animals may be included from time to time). It is expected to alleviate some of the pressure on NM shelter and animal control systems who have animals that they are not currently delivering programming for. The same national educational/training programming aforementioned will also have a positive impact on those attending from within our state.

On the local level, we expect the LifeRaft Lodge to deliver the highest level of animal care and also address the immediate needs of the community in which it is located. The local operation will allow for additional youth, adult and senior programming including both therapy and companion animal guardian education.

Current properties under review range from 20 acres to over 100 acres. (A donation of land would help us TREMENDOUSLY!  If you know of anyone who may wish to make a tax-deductible donation of land, you may contact us at 505-281-2002 or send an email to: mail@newmexicopetsalive.org - THANK-YOU!!) The LifeRaft Lodge will be a progressive, wholistic rehabilitation and adoption preparatory care center for those companion animals in our program. Our center is their last hope and it will be our job to make their journey to their new forever home a success. This center will replicate normal pet/people/pet living conditions (both indoors and outdoors) and group environments for all group-ready animals in our care. The LifeRaft Lodge is being developed in consultation with the most progressive and successful foster care, rehabilitation and life saving experts in America. Once an animal is ready for adoption, they will be made available for adoption via various outlets, including some of the most inviting, people/pet friendly, progressive and entrepreneurial adoption centers in New Mexico.

The LifeRaft Lodge will be an eco-friendly, state of the art, primarily cage-less facility delivering the highest level of animal care. Animal 'condos' will take the place of cages. Most animals will spend their days (7 days per week, open to the public) in more of an animal day-care type of setting socializing with visitors, potential adopters and other animals. The center will also strive to deliver the highest level of customer service and form long term relationships with all members of the community.  They will also serve as a place for the local community to come to when they have questions about their animals and needs to address. We are community service organization and that will be apparent in all facets of our operations. For those few animals needing sanctuary, they will have it here with us with full enrichment programs and medical care for the rest of their lives.

Our long term objective is to share the programmatic know-how and successes of The LifeRaft Lodge with others so that they may create similar programs in their own communities, thereby growing a supportive life-saving network across America, helping to deliver 21st century solutions to our country's neglected and homeless pet challenges.

We have much work to do to make this important life saving program a reality but thanks to advance pledges of both financial contributions, sponsorships, construction materials and services, we're off to a great start so MANY THANKS to our early supporters!  If you'd like to pledge your sponsorship, financial or in-kind support, your donation is tax-deductible. Please feel free to click the online donation button on the top right-hand side of this page or send an email to: mail@newmexicopetsalive.org or call 505-281-2002 for further donation or sponsorship information. You may also send a donation via regular mail made payable to 'New Mexico Pets Alive' and mail to: NMPA, PO Box 25661, Albuquerque, NM  87125.  On behalf of the neglected and homeless dogs, cats, bunnies and even horses we will be caring for, we THANK-YOU!

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