Pet care, vet services are priority efforts at Arizona Animal Welfare League
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Arizona Animal Welfare League is rebranding the entire nonprofit organization — in concert with a new strategic plan — to emphasize its focus on equitable access to pet health resources.
“One of our core values is empathy and we believe this new logo evokes everything we want our brand to say about us: that we’re warm, approachable, authentic, reliable and welcoming, particularly to the diverse pet owners we serve from communities across Maricopa County,” said AAWL’s President and CEO Alessandra Navidad, in a prepared statement.
The new brand identity and logo tells the story of AAWL’s important life-saving work in the Phoenix community since 1971. The date in the new logo is tagged in small letters at the bottom of the text to highlight how AAWL is a well-established organization with many years of experience.
“It is a simple way of including AAWL’s history which is a humanizing force for the brand, as it tells the stories of the people and communities that have worked together to create a legacy of wellness, compassion and protection for the animals they serve,” added Ms. Navidad.
The new logo more clearly represents the typical mixed breed dog and cat an adopter, foster, volunteer or team member will care for at AAWL’s two main adoption facilities on 40th Street and Washington and at the Chandler Fashion Center.
“Our life-saving programs may have evolved over the years, but our commitment to saving the lives of cats and dogs has remained the same,” said Ms. Navidad. “We want to make sure our brand reflects who we are and all we hope to accomplish in the future.”
As part of its five-year strategic plan, AAWL will strive to eliminate barriers to veterinary care by offering affordable, accessible vet services for pet families who would otherwise be unable to afford care.
Pet care and vet services are priority efforts Arizona Animal Welfare League
In 2021 alone, 36,526 cats and dogs entered shelters in Maricopa County. Animal welfare organizations across the Valley are struggling with recent massive pet intakes due to complex issues such as housing instability or lack of veterinary and behavioral care.
“We recognized that if we’re truly going to reduce the number of healthy and treatable animals that are surrendered to shelters each year across Arizona, we must invest in providing more behavior and veterinary resources to pet owners from underserved communities to avoid the difficult situation of pet surrenders and keep animals out of the shelter system altogether,” Ms. Navidad pointed out.
AAWL partnered with PetSmart Charities in 2022 to conduct the first-ever, bilingual community assessment focused on the needs of Latino pet owners in communities near AAWL’s main shelter. This survey showed large disparities in access to pet health resources, affordable vet care and information.
