It seems with each passing day the COVID-19 pandemic has a greater impact on our lives. 

As you know, the governors of Oregon and Washington are enacting restrictions on non-essential activities in order to slow the spread of the virus.

We want to honor those restrictions, minimizing everyone's possible exposure to the virus. We know it's an important part of slowing this virus and protecting the vulnerable people who could become dangerously sick from it.

As an organization that provides essential services to a vulnerable population, we are enacting a plan to deliver the most urgent help in our communities while postponing all non-essential volunteer activities until it’s safer for everyone to be out and about.

Many families are facing lost work right now.

Those with children are doing without school meals and other services during the shutdown.

With the stress and uncertainty of this unprecedented time, families will struggle even more to meet the needs of their four-legged members.

We will protect the health of our team while making sure no dogs go without essential care.

We're enacting these measures, starting March 17:

FIRST: We're working with all of our Client Outreach team to list our highest-need cases. Using the smallest possible crew, we'll visit those dogs and:

• Set up temporary panel fences if needed
• Schedule urgent veterinary care as needed
• Deliver dog houses or food as needed
• Ease family fears about the risk of spreading the virus to or from their pets

ALSO: We're reaching out to past and future clients, letting them know we're available to deliver food or dog houses. We won't let any dogs go without the most essential care.

NEXT: We're postponing all other activities until April 6, at which time we'll assess the situation and decide when it's safe to return to our normal schedule.

AND MOST OF ALL: We're protecting OUR VOLUNTEERS: the most valuable part of this amazing, life-saving, kindness-spreading, hard-working machine we've created together.

Please take the best possible care of yourself. Rest. Wash your hands. Stay home as much as you can. Urge your friends and family to do their best to follow the CDC guidelines for safety in this unusual time.