The Community Cats Podcast

Interview! Deborah Schutt, Co-Founder Michigan Pet Fund Alliance “Attending conferences, understanding what other people are doing, and adding to the tool kit is really important.” The co-founder of the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance, Deborah began her journey into the animal welfare field with dog fostering. Time and experience led her to TNR, feral cat welfare, and a passion for exploring different tactics to improve shelters and rescues. She and Stacy discuss no-kill philosophies and goals, as well as the process of uniting home-based rescues and shelters through education and data analysis. With approximately 185 shelters in Michigan, the Pet Fund Alliance produced data-based performance reports that created a deeper understanding of both impacts and needs of shelters across the state. Michigan boasts over 100 no-kill shelters, with fifty four out of eighty counties being no-kill. Deborah’s understanding of the many different approaches to the homeless animal dilemma has no doubt influenced these statistics.