What Is RedRover and What Does the Organization Do?

RedRover is a nonprofit that helps animals in crisis and works to protect the bond between people and animals. Its work covers four main areas: emergency veterinary assistance, support for domestic violence survivors who need to keep their pets, disaster relief and emergency sheltering, and humane education. If you need help for an animal, want to volunteer, or are looking for a cause to support, RedRover's site organizes those paths under Get Help, Take Action, and Learn More.

RedRover's Mission

RedRover describes its purpose as bringing "animals and their people from crisis to care." The organization says it helps animals in crisis and protects and strengthens the human-animal bond through:

• Emergency sheltering
• Disaster relief services
• Financial assistance
• Education

That combination matters because RedRover does not only rescue animals. It also addresses situations where an animal's crisis is tied to a person's crisis, such as a domestic violence survivor who cannot leave without a pet.

Main Programs

RedRover Relief

RedRover Relief covers emergency veterinary assistance and support related to domestic violence. According to the site, this includes:

• Emergency veterinary assistance
• Grants and assistance for housing a survivor's pets
• Grants for homeless shelters
• The Purple Leash Project
• "Don't Forget the Pets"

The Purple Leash Project and "Don't Forget the Pets" point to a specific problem: many domestic violence shelters are not pet-friendly. RedRover states that only 20% of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters exist, which is the gap these programs aim to narrow.

RedRover Responders

RedRover Responders handles community assistance and emergency sheltering, including:

• Community assistance
• Emergency sheltering
• Volunteer opportunities to help animals in crisis

The site reports 301 deployments to date, meaning this program has been activated hundreds of times for animals in crisis situations.

RedRover Readers

RedRover Readers is the organization's humane education program. It includes:

• A humane education program
• Kind News magazine for kids

RedRover reports that 136,613 children have been engaged through RedRover Readers. This program focuses on preventing cruelty before it starts by teaching children about kindness and compassion toward animals.

Who RedRover Serves

RedRover's programs reach several groups:

The site also notes that 28,285 pets and their people have been supported through RedRover Relief Urgent Care grants.

How to Get Involved or Get Help

RedRover's homepage organizes its main actions into three entry points:

• Get Help — Grants and resources for individuals and organizations
• Take Action — Opportunities to volunteer and raise awareness
• Learn More — Information about who RedRover is and what it does

If you want to support the organization, the site lists ways to give including donating, making a recurring gift (called a "FurEver Friend"), fundraising, making a tribute gift, leaving a legacy, and shopping at the RedRover Store. Volunteering is also described as the organization's "backbone," with opportunities to directly care for animals in crisis at temporary emergency shelters.

What to Keep in Mind

RedRover is an animal welfare nonprofit, not a government agency or a general pet insurance provider. Its assistance is program-based, so whether you qualify depends on the specific program and your situation. The site does not list pricing for its services on the homepage, and the availability of grants or assistance is not the same as a guarantee of support. If you are seeking help, start with the Get Help section to see which program matches your circumstances.