Many consider pets to be a part of the family. When a family or individual is in crisis, pet owners often have to decide between a critical need or their pet. One of our new members is providing families and individuals resources to keep their pets as part of the family. Columbus Dog Connection is committed to improving the lives of cats and dogs across Ohio by promoting responsible pet ownership and advancing animal welfare. Their mission focuses on ending the overpopulation of unwanted pets through high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter services, rescuing and rehoming homeless animals through foster and adoption, and offering vital support and resources to the community and other animal welfare organizations in need.
We chatted with Columbus Dog Connection to learn more about their work, recent achievements, and challenges. Here’s what they shared about their mission, impact, and role within the community.
1. Every organization has its unique identity. What sets your organization or program apart from others working in a similar space?
What sets Columbus Dog Connection apart from other rescues in the area is that we have three distinct approaches to helping solve the homeless pet problem in Columbus. The first is preventing it by offering low-cost spay/neuter options. By lowering the reproduction rate, we can reduce the number of pets needing homes. The second is by offering solutions to keep pets in the homes they currently are in with resources and tips on our website, offering a food and supply pantry, and offering discounted and low-cost medical services to keep pets healthy. The approach is through our rescue and rehoming service, which is run much like other rescues in the area.
2. Reflecting on recent achievements, what has been your biggest success as an organization in the past year?
Our vaccine clinic has continued to grow, averaging over 100 patients each month over the last year. We first introduced our monthly vaccine clinic in 2012, which served only 600 patients for the entire year. In 2024, we served over 1300 patients!
3. Turning to challenges, what is the most pressing issue your community or clients are currently facing in the coming year?
Inflation and a lack of stable/affordable housing seem to be the biggest concerns we hear from our community. Our clients are having trouble affording their daily needs, so oftentimes, they are unable to pay for their pet's medical needs, or they are having to move to housing that will not allow them to take their pets with them and need to rehome them all together. This is where both our low-cost clinics and rescue/rehoming programs help our community.
4. Community involvement is key. How can people who are inspired by your work get involved with your organization?
We are always in need of volunteers for our monthly vaccine clinic, cat care in the office, and adoption events. We are actively looking for more members for our Fundraising Committee and fosters for both dogs and cats in our rescue program. People can also follow us on social media to share our posts to raise awareness for our programs and get more people to see our adoptable animal profiles, helping increase our adoptions.
5. Collaboration is often essential in creating impact. Who are some of your favorite partners or collaborators in the community, and how do you work together?
We work with several other rescues in Columbus by providing low-cost medical care, including Colony Cats, Cat Welfare, For the Love Of Jane, Buckeye Australian Cattledog Rescue, Freedom Tails, Animal Protection Network, Hospets, RICO Pet Recovery, and many more. This year, we have signed up for adoption events with Ohio Pet Charities, Hollywood Feed, Petco-Eastown Town Center, and hopefully many other locations. We also have a long-standing relationship with Byers Airport Subaru, which supports our rescue through their Subaru Loves Pets Campaign in October.
6. Becoming part of this network brings you to a new community and potential collaborations. Why did you decide to join Community Shares of Mid-Ohio?
We have been a resource for the pet community in the Columbus area since 1998, and everywhere we go, the majority of pet-loving people we meet tell us that they have never heard of us before. We wish to be of greater use to our community and serve our community more by getting the word out about our services and what we can offer to everyone who owns a pet. By becoming a Community Shares of Mid Ohio member, we can let all of the members know about our services and ask them to share our services with people they know so that we can help as many people as possible.
7. The heart of Community Shares’ work is to create a more just, caring and healthy Community for all, how does your organization contribute to this vision?
Our mission is to help our community with their pets by offering low-cost options for vaccinations and spay/neuter procedures, offering information and resources on how they can keep their pet, and assisting other rescues with pet food pantry and supplies as well as low-cost services for their own rescues. We also help homeless dogs and cats in our community find their forever homes. This helps pets stay healthy and helps people keep their pets, which contributes to their mental health and wellbeing.
8. Let’s end with something surprising. What’s an interesting fact or statistic about your organization that most people might not know?
Our Mobile spay/neuter unit is named The Andy after the beloved dog of one of our long-time supporters who helped secure funding for the unit.
Columbus Dog Connection’s work is making a lasting impact on pets and their owners across Ohio. Through their accessible services and community collaborations, they continue to address the needs of homeless animals and pet owners facing challenges. Their ongoing growth and dedication to animal welfare ensure they remain a vital resource for the Columbus community.
