Happily Ever After
An Actual Matter of Time
The mission at Happily Ever After is “To increase humanity’s capacity to care for its companion animals” — it sounds meaningful, but what does it actually mean?
At HEA, we’re developing root-cause solutions to better the lives of cats, dogs, and the people who love them. This requires rethinking companion animal welfare—shifting away from approaches that have remained largely unchanged for over 150 years.
From 2006 to 2023, HEA’s mission was to provide a loving home to every companion animal who enters our care – with a lifetime guarantee. While warm and comforting, that mission unintentionally placed the full responsibility on HEA as the sheltering entity. It essentially said, “Bring us animals and we’ll love them forever.”
In 2024, we introduced a revised mission: To increase humanity’s capacity to care for its companion animals. Three words in that statement are especially important.
Humanity.
Who is humanity? When this question is asked, people respond in different ways—some become noticeably uncomfortable, others lean in with curiosity and enthusiasm. Both reactions are valid. Because the reality is, humanity is all of us.
Capacity.
A dynamic word carrying many meanings in the context of HEA’s mission – knowledge, ability, access, resources, space, and desire. Capacity is everything that will enable people to truly care.
A dynamic word carrying many meanings in the context of HEA’s mission – knowledge, ability, access, resources, space, and desire. Capacity is everything that will enable people to truly care.
Its.
Its represents a transfer of ownership. The challenges facing companion animals do not belong to shelters, animal control, or rescue groups alone. They belong to humanity—and that means people must be invited (and accept the invitation) to help solve those challenges.
Its represents a transfer of ownership. The challenges facing companion animals do not belong to shelters, animal control, or rescue groups alone. They belong to humanity—and that means people must be invited (and accept the invitation) to help solve those challenges.
Many groups in animal welfare are doing incredible work to reduce needless euthanasia in shelters. But shelter euthanasia is merely a symptom of the actual problem – an unrecognized capacity to care. If we want lasting change, we have to ask (and act upon) a deeper question: Why are dogs and cats entering shelters in the first place?
To learn more about Happily Ever Afters vision, mission, and work, scan here:
Join the fun July 24-26 at Happily Ever Afters Green Bay Center for Non-Stop Cuddles with Amazing Pets!
We’ve always known that time is critical for shelter pets in the U.S., but a moment at a 2018 conference in Los Angeles shook our team. As part of a nationwide data-collection effort, Best Friends Animal Society found that 150 pets are euthanized every hour in U.S. shelters—a number that was hard to grasp and impossible to accept. As that unsettling statistic scrolled across the screen, the knots in our stomachs tightened. That moment sparked the idea for Hour of Love (houroflove.org).
What is Hour of Love?
Hour of Love is HEA’s largest annual fundraising and friend-raising campaign, featuring hundreds of in-person cuddle sessions and a participant-led social media campaign.
Participants enjoy one-on-one time with adoptable dogs and cats – wagging tails, slobbery kisses, and endless purrs included! To maximize impact, participants are encouraged to create a personal campaign page and share their Hour of Love experience with friends, family, and followers.
How you can help (July 24–26)
- Sign up for a cuddle session.
- Create and share your campaign page.
- Get your workplace involved.
- Become a sponsor.
- Make a donation.
Take action
Visit houroflove.org—sign up to cuddle or make a gift. For personal gifts, sponsorships, or corporate participation, contact Marcus Reitz at mreitz@heanokill.org.
How donations are invested
In just six years, Hour of Love has raised over $595,000—each dollar a powerful act of love to advance HEA’s noble mission to increase humanity’s capacity to care for its companion animals. In 2024 alone, donations to HEA made it possible for:
- 599 dogs and cats to be adopted into loving homes
- 1,493 companion animals to receive spay/neuter services through a high-quality, low-cost program (heanokill.org/spayneuter)
- 453 pets to find temporary foster care while waiting for their adoptive families
- 28,985 volunteer hours to be generously contributed by community members.