35 Wabash St. PO Box 8480, Pittsburgh, PA 15220
412-928-9777

Animal Advocates Furry Forty | 1984-2024

2024 marked Animal Advocates’ 40th anniversary, so we celebrated four decades of fighting for animals in need.

When Animal Advocates first came into existence, its purpose and mission were focused more broadly on the mistreatment of animals. And while the organization continues to believe in that original vision, the last 20 years has seen Animal Advocates hone in on making an impact one animal at a time.

This past October, we held a celebration of 40 years of helping animals in need. It was wonderful to hear the original volunteers share stories of the early days, and the incredible impact they were able to have with little more than gumption and a few dollars.

The origin story of how Animal Advocates acquired the building that now houses our Thrift Shop and Cat Apartment exemplifies that do-whatever-it-takes attitude. When the building in the West End became available, the volunteers raised funds by contacting 1,000 people from their mailing list. When more funds were still needed after that massive collective effort, volunteers asked for loans from friends and family, with a commitment to pay them back in five years, to close the deal.

Another memorable moment was the work done by our volunteers to get legislation passed to outlaw rodeos from being held in Allegheny County. A pair of courageous volunteers attended a rodeo at the Civic Arena and were able to capture footage of the injury, suffering and eventual shooting of a bull.

That video was shared with local media, and the resulting outrage led to the effective ban of rodeos by Pittsburgh City Council in 1992. Unfortunately, that rule was recently overturned, a good reminder that the work never ends.

Hearing those stories, and then listening to those original volunteers voice their appreciation for the work that we are still doing all these years later, was humbling for the current volunteers. Though different, Animal Advocates’ current focus on rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming cats and dogs in need is still making an impact on our community, one animal and forever home at a time.

“When an animal comes to Advocates, and you get to know them and watch them open up and start to trust you, and then you find out they’ve been adopted and will be loved the way they deserve, it’s a great feeling,” said Mark Fleckenstein, a volunteer.

When an animal comes to Advocates … and then you find out they’ve been adopted and will be loved the way they deserve, it’s a great feeling.

– Mark Fleckenstein, Volunteer

The 40th Anniversary party, hosted at First United Presbyterian Church of Crafton Heights and organized by volunteer and board member Barb Prevost, allowed multiple generations of Animal Advocates volunteers to connect, share stories, and fondly remember their favorite animals that have passed through.

Beyond celebrating the past 40 years and all of the victories, both large and small, that our organization has achieved, the hope is that connecting the different eras of volunteers will both keep that legacy alive while also inspiring the next round of volunteers to continue our mission, whatever it may look like in five or 10 years.

“It’s really amazing to see that Animal Advocates is still making a difference, especially when you consider that we’ve been 100% volunteer-run for 40 years,” said Linda Marino, a long-time volunteer and key board member.

“There have been hard times where we maybe weren’t sure if we could keep it together for another week. But seeing all of these people together gives me hope for the next 40 years.