Moving Forward with Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Muddy Paws Rescue

Dear Muddy Paws family,

Just over a month ago, we committed to asking the hard questions and being a part of the solution as we support the Black Lives Matter movement. I’d like to share with you some of the progress we have made over the past month and ask for your thoughts, feedback, and ideas as we work towards removing existing barriers in animal welfare.

In the past four weeks, we have:

Expanded our strategic objectives to ensure that our DEI goals are folded into all aspects of our operations and begun dissecting our programs to see where, specifically, we can improve
Welcomed conversations with existing and new BIPOC community members
Immersed ourselves in national discussions surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as it relates to animal welfare
Continued research into available classes, webinars, workshops, trainings, and other resources for our staff members, Board of Directors, and core volunteers as we all work to fight our internal biases
Made a commitment to approach board member recruitment with a focus on DEI
Held open conversations with staff to share resources and recommendations for books, media, and other ways we can educate ourselves and become effective allies
Encouraged our community to patronize BIPOC-owned businesses for pet-related services and shared and promoted a number of these services on our social platforms

As Best Friends Animal Society’s CEO Julie Castle writes, it is “not a newsflash” that animal welfare has always been a predominantly white industry. At Muddy Paws Rescue, we employ a staff of nine women, seven of whom are unambiguously white - myself included. We are committed to changing that and building a more diverse staff by investing in long-term change and pursuing the action items above.

We have done a lot of work over the years to ensure that our adoptions process is unbiased and accessible, and while our active effort have yielded results, we are not solely an adoption agency. We have built a community of animal lovers, donors, foster parents, and incredibly dedicated volunteers, and it is our responsibility to ensure that not only are we welcoming and supportive of those who actively approach us, but that we work proactively to balance the deep-seated societal inequities that make the Black Lives Matter movement essential. By encouraging BIPOC involvement in animal welfare, we are also increasing the number of animal lovers who feel empowered to enact change and make the world a better place for animals - and to the homeless animals across the nation, that is certainly a positive thing.

To all of our dog-loving BIPOC community members: you are wanted, welcome, and encouraged to get involved with Muddy Paws Rescue. We value not only your perspective, but also your passion, experience, and desire to save lives.

As a world, we have work to do. As an organization, this is our starting point. We will ask questions, listen, explore, research, self-educate, and embrace discomfort and growth. We’ve made a commitment, and we will see it through.

Sincerely,
Rachael Ziering
Founding Executive Director