MPA! was formed in February 2013 after several animal welfare advocates recognized an immediate need to unite against the growing crisis of homeless pets in Memphis and the high euthanasia rate at the city’s open intake shelter. This mission was accomplished through a variety of community and volunteer-driven initiatives such as Wag Along Tuesday, which helped network the animals housed at Memphis Animal Services and increases adoption/rescue rates and return-to-owner successes, a positive alternative to shelter surrender (PASS) program to help the public, a partnership with PetSmart to maintain a cat habitat, educational public meetings and low-cost options for animal welfare. Our Tuesday night photo event, Wag Along Tuesday was designed to make the public aware of animals available for adoption—to take appealing photos that highlight the pet’s personality, give them character or showcase something special that might grab the viewer and say, “I’m worth adopting!”. The stigma against shelter pets ranges from “They’re all sick and medically unfit,” to “It’s just pit bulls and throw-away dogs/cats no one wants.” Wag Along Tuesday began in March of 2013 when several volunteers went to the shelter to take photos. They met a sweet girl who came to be known as Tuesday. They were warned by staff not to post her until her "review date.” (The review date is the day she would be available for adoption.)  Early the morning of her “review date” we posted her picture at 8:00 am.  She looked a little underweight but she was beautiful and full of life. She was playful and happy.  Maybe someone would see her sweet face and adopt her? We called to check on her the minute the shelter opened.  They said:  “Euthanized.” We named her “Tuesday” and photographed the animals at the Memphis shelter in her honor for over 288 Tuesdays in a row. She is our inspiration and has helped save hundreds of animals at the Memphis shelter. Her legacy continues.  

Today MPA! is focused on TNR (Trap-Nueter-Release) assistance efforts for feral or community cats in Memphis and surrounding areas as well as feeding feral colonies in the area. We work with communities and cat caregivers who want to help but may not have the resources to get the cats spayed in their neighborhood. We work closely with Spay Memphis to get as many cats spayed or neutered as we can to help the overpopulation in our area. We also staff and run the cat habitat inside Pet Smart located at 5883 Poplar Avenue. This gives us a chance to house and show our cats and kittens that are ready for adoption that have been rescued from the streets or pulled from other shelters in the area. All of our cats that are available for adoption have been fully vetted, including microchipped, spayed, and neutered. Some cats may have come to us with an existing medical need which our foster parents will keep them until they are well and ready to find their furrever family.

PASS is a free community service provided by Memphis Pets Alive! (MPA!) to help people help their pets stay in their current homes or find a new home if needed. It offers a pet food/supply pantry to help owners feed their pet during financially difficult times rather than give up their pets. This is especially important when people are faced with the impossible decision of whether they are going to feed their pet or themselves, handle a medical bill pay the electric bill, etc., and in turn believe the only choice they have is to give up their pet.

Other PASS benefits include low-cost micro-chip clinics; advice on re-homing a pet when it’s about more than just a basic donation of food or supplies; and other support measures as needed to prevent an owner from surrendering their pet to a shelter. The people involved are volunteers who have a shared passion to ensure companion animals in our community are given every opportunity to find or stay with their perfect family or community and not die homeless in a shelter.