About APR

Abandoned Pet Rescue (APR) is a 501(C)(3) IRS tax-exempt, qualified not-for-profit charitable organization that rescues and shelters abandoned, abused, and neglected dogs and cats with the goal of rehabilitating and finding them new homes.  APR is one of the largest no-kill animal shelters in South Florida. In the past decade, APR has provided quality care for 6,800 cats and dogs that have come through the shelter, pets in forever foster homes and community cats that have been trapped-neutered-released.

APR, incorporated in 1996,  has since been an active member of the community and a determined advocate for animal welfare.  APR’s roots began with a team of women trapping, spaying, and neutering community cats, also called feral cats.  The group soon realized the greater need to help abandoned dogs and cats and opened the no-kill shelter located near downtown Fort Lauderdale. 

Today, the shelter has the capacity to house up to 200 cats and 30 dogs.  An additional 90 pets are in forever foster homes, and continue to receive medical care and pet supplies from APR.  There is a staff of 18 people that operate the shelter and care for the animals 365 days a year. When kennel space is available, APR transports dogs from public shelters that are overwhelmed with abandoned animals that would otherwise be euthanized.

The on-site clinic has a licensed veterinarian and trained technicians in order to provide on-going medical care and crucial vaccinations for APR’s animals as well as spaying and neutering.  When animals arrive at the shelter malnourished, abused or unwell, APR staff works to rehabilitate and nurture these animals so that they can be placed successfully in loving homes. In addition to providing medical care for the animals in the shelter, APR has a trap-neuter-release program that vaccinates, spays and neuters about 300 community cats each year, often providing more extensive medical care for injured feral cats in these colonies. 

APR has six board members that represent various professions including accounting, law, engineering, real estate, civic leadership, and the arts.  The board plays a vital role in maintaining the shelter’s structure, strong financial condition and overall mission to help stray and abandoned animals.

Over 60 active volunteers assist APR in daily tasks around the shelter and are a vital component to pet adoptions and fundraising.  These volunteers walk dogs, interact and comfort dogs and cats in need of TLC, bring animals to adoption events, greet visitors that come to the shelter, foster animals with special needs, and assist in fundraising, marketing and social media.

An important role of the APR board, staff and volunteers is engaging regularly in community initiatives such as adoption events, spay and neutering campaigns, and animal welfare education.  APR invites students and adults to complete their community service requirements and welcomes community groups and companies to partake in service projects that improve the shelter. 

With the help of its dedicated and compassionate team, APR strives to maintain the highest standards in order to fulfill its mission of providing the best care and outcomes for the animals that come to the shelter.  Our donors and community can have confidence in knowing that their support for APR is used to save and improve the lives of animals and enhance the well-being of our community. The need for funding is always growing; please donate, volunteer, and adopt today.