San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
San Antonio Pets Alive!
Rebecca Mayberry has been looking out for abandoned animals for a long time. She recalls picking up strays for the first time when she was about 7 years old. She has taken care of feral cat colonies and served as a foster for several rescue groups. Mayberry, the executive director of San Antonio Pets Alive!, said she’s always loved cats and dogs, and it shows. “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my career, this is definitely my passion.”
San Antonio Pets Alive! is a no-kill rescue organization. The nonprofit organization saves about 5,000 dogs and cats each year. The animals live with volunteer fosters and rescue
partners until they’re adopted. One location is Building One at Animal Care Services on Highway 151. The other locations and hours of operation are listed on the nonprofit’s website.
Mayberry, who has been executive director since 2018, has worked in the nonprofit sector for about 30 years. Before coming to San Antonio Pets Alive!, she was a national development manager for the Petco Foundation. The city’s ongoing problem with stray animals is why she decided to work for San Antonio Pets Alive!
Mayberry said community support, fostering, and spaying and neutering are essential to solving the stray animal problem.
“When they enter the municipal shelter, sometimes they only have two or three days, and the municipal shelter is clamoring for space, and they have to make hard decisions on who is going to be euthanized,” she said. “If rescues don’t step up to help, then animals get put down.”
Mayberry and her staff and volunteers do everything they can to buy each cat and dog more time. The organization has 300 foster homes, but more volunteers are always needed to help with programs such as the neonatal kitten program. More cats are waiting to be adopted than dogs, but there are plenty of pictures of both on San Antonio Pets Alive!’s website, and Facebook page.
Last year because of the pandemic, many people adopted, but now, Mayberry said she’s started to see an increase in residents who may be in crisis because they’re losing their housing.
More people are asking to relinquish their pets because they are facing eviction. Mayberry said requests have gone from one or two a day to 10. One way to help is to donate on Nov. 30th on Giving Tuesday, and of course, donations are welcome any time of the year.
Mayberry said the most rewarding part of her job is knowing that at the end of the day, San Antonio Pets Alive! has made a big difference.
Go to sanantoniopetsalive.org for more information or to to make a donation.