How It All Began: From Rescue to Reform

For years, I’ve been rescuing animals. Dogs abandoned on the side of the road. Litters of puppies born behind chain-link fences. Seniors dumped when they got sick or slowed down. I've seen the best and worst of humanity, and like many in the rescue world, I’ve poured everything I have into helping the most innocent.

But no matter how many lives we save, it never feels like enough. Because while we’re working tirelessly to heal and rehome one animal at a time, the system that keeps failing them continues untouched.

This is why I know, we need everlasting change: Rescue is the band-aid. But legislation is the cure.

Backyard breeding. Puppy mills. Absent spay/neuter laws. Loopholes that allow repeat abusers to offend again and again. We can’t rescue our way out of this broken system. We have to rewrite it.

This nonprofit was born from that truth, and from a deep, sometimes painful knowing that if we want to see lasting change, we need to go bigger. We need to push for real, enforceable laws that protect animals from cruelty, exploitation, and neglect. That means making animal abuse a felony. That means regulating breeders, shutting down puppy mills, and mandating sterilization unless someone holds a specific, licensed exemption. It means giving animals the legal protection they deserve.

I still believe in rescue. I always will. But now, I believe even more in reform.

This is just the beginning, but if you’re here, reading this, maybe you believe in change too. And maybe, just maybe, we can do this together.

Because these sweet precious souls deserve better. And we’re not stopping until the laws say so.

Jennifer Young
Founder, Paw Policy Project