Animal Welfare  and  Animal Rights

MANY of the REBSEA Founders and Members have a passion for the causes of animal welfare and animal rights.   If we humans have a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", then what rights do animals have in our society?  While this question may not yet be fully answered under the law, many are working to ensure the welfare of animals in a multitude of ways.  Here are a few examples of what some of the REBSEA Members are doing towards this end.   By creating the infrastructure of the REBSEA organization we hope to connect RE agents and mortgage lenders who are animal rights activists across the country so that they may work towards instituting some of these programs that have been successful in these local communities below.  Only GOOD can come of this.

Brenda Breit, one of the Founders of REBSEA and a finalist in the 2013 National Association of Realtors Good Neighbor Award, has worked tirelessly to rescue pets abandoned as a result of evictions, foreclosures, and financial hardship.  She and her daughter founded LOST OUR HOME PET FOUNDATION in Scottsdale, Arizona which provides shelter to up to 80 animals along with a pet food bank.  They have rescued more than 2200 abandoned pets.  It is a tragedy that so many pets had been left behind to perish. Imagine if there were a program like Brenda's in each community across the country !   Brenda’s profile can be seen at http://rebsea.wildapricot.org/brendabreit

Tom Bienkowski is a REBSEA Founder and also a founder of Paws Homes http://www.pawshomes.com and the Paws Foundation serving the Hartford, Connecticut community.  Tom and his partner Jill Craft donate 10% of their real estate commission in the name of their clients to pet or animal related 501(3)(c) charities, shelters or organizations.  The Paws Foundation is involved directly in furthering animal welfare in the Hartford area.   Many of the REBSEA Founders and Members donate a part of each commission to a nonprofit in their community  and many have chosen animal welfare programs.   REBSEA is certain to help to increase donations in the direction of animal welfare programs as it continues to grow its network of caring RE agents and mortgage lenders.  Learn more about Tom http://rebsea.wildapricot.org/PawsHomes

Suzy Thomas of Dreamtown Realty in Chicago is a REBSEA Founder and also the founder of "Realtors to the Rescue of Homeless Animals".   Suzy's personal passion and avocation is working to save the lives of homeless animals.  She is the Founder of "Realtors to the Rescue of Homeless Animals", a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to saving the lives of homeless animals in the Chicago area.  The organization uses the vast network of Realtors and the website www.realtorstotherescue.com to promote the adoption of homeless animals and to support area animal shelter fundraising and education events. For all of her efforts in this great cause, the Chicago Association of Realtors recently awarded Suzy the Realtor Community Service Award for her outstanding contribution to her community.  She is also the recipient of the Rose Fay Thomas award from the Anti-Cruelty Society in recognition of her contributions to saving homeless animals in the city. Learn more about  Suzy http://rebsea.wildapricot.org/suzythomas

Sharon Callahan is a REBSEA Founder and donates a part of each of her real estate commissions to the Escondido Humane Society in the Greater San Diego area in California.  Sharon has been involved in many efforts aiding animal welfare and is currently working on an innovative program in her community.  Her research has taught her that perhaps the greatest reason that the elderly are hesitant to adopt a pet, even though they are well aware of the many benefits of doing so, is because they are concerned with what will happen to the pet when they pass on.   Sharon is creating a program that arranges in advance the answer to this question so that the elderly can confidently adopt a pet without concern for the uncertain future.  Kudos to Sharon for this "out of the box" approach to dealing with this issue.  She is true to her slogan, "Giving Back is never Giving Up".    Learn more about Sharon http://rebsea.wildapricot.org/SharonCallahan

It is our ardent desire that as the REBSEA network continues to grow that members with similar interests and similar missions can come together and spread great ideas across the country.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, and has received a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator. We encourage you to support animal welfare with a direct donation to this non profit. https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?idb=1117760973&1514.donation=form1&df_id=1514