What Animals In Distress does

Animals In Distress is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit no-kill animal sanctuary founded in the mid-1970s in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. It operates a single 42-acre facility at 5075 Limeport Pike in Coopersburg, featuring a 21,000 sq ft three-wing building (Hopeful Hall dog wing, Purrfect Place cat wing, and a Hospitality Center) with a hydrotherapy pool, training room, cat community room, outdoor dog runs, and walking trails. The organization houses approximately 300 animals and commits to keeping every animal admitted for life if not adopted, providing medical care, behavioral rehabilitation, food, and shelter until a permanent home is found. Adoption services are delivered directly to consumers within a 25-30 mile placement radius, with a written application, home visit, and lifetime return policy.

The organization employs 17 paid staff, restricted to roles that work directly with animals; all administrative, fundraising, placement, and other non-animal-care functions are performed by unpaid volunteers, and the Board of Directors also serves without compensation. It receives no tax dollars or public funding and is operated entirely on donations and event-driven fundraisers. Core revenue streams include individual donations, the annual WAEB 790AM Radiothon (the single largest fundraiser), adoption donations ($150 per cat), and affiliate/referral programs including Redner's Save-A-Tape, AmazonSmile, and the Chewy Shelter Program. Additional activities include a year-round calendar of community events (Mardi Paws, Laps of Love Walkathon, Santa Paws, Blessing of the Animals, Alumni Day), monthly Tails of Hope newsletter, volunteer orientation, and the Take-A-Pet-To-Dinner program.

Technology is minimal: there is no proprietary platform, app, or AI capability, and the shelter uses a traditional website (animalsindistresspa.org) for adoptions, donations via Give Lively, and QR-code mobile payments. Distribution is entirely physical and local — the sanctuary is open to the public weekends, with appointments available for dog and cat viewings. Marketing and donor engagement rely on the WAEB radio partnership, event-driven community fundraising, the monthly newsletter, and grassroots social channels. Animals In Distress does not pursue geographic or product-line expansion; the strategic posture is maintenance of an established single-site no-kill operation sustained by a multi-decade Lehigh Valley community ecosystem.

Name

Animals In Distress

Legal name

Animals In Distress

Website

https://animalsindistresspa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Animals In Distress is a 501(c)(3) no-kill animal sanctuary in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, founded in 1975, housing about 300 cats and dogs on a 42-acre facility and placing them through a direct-to-consumer adoption program funded entirely by donations and community fundraisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare & Rescue Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB), Rescue, Transport & Emergency Animal Response (BPAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Animal sanctuary services
• Pet adoption placement
• No-kill shelter
• Animal rescue rehabilitation
• Animal welfare nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Coopersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary donations from individuals supporting the shelter's mission. 100% of donations used for animal care. No administrative or fundraising costs deducted from donations.
2. Annual Radiothon: WAEB 790AM Radiothon is the single largest fundraiser of the year. 100% of donations dedicated to rescue and rehabilitation of desperate cats and dogs.
3. Redner's Save-A-Tape: Redner's warehouse markets donate 1% of designated receipt totals to the shelter through the Save-A-Tape program.
4. Amazon Smile: AmazonSmile Foundation donates portion of eligible product purchases to the organization when customers select Animals In Distress as their charity.
5. Adoption Donations: Cat adoption donation fee of $150. Dog adoption fees also collected though not explicitly stated.
6. Chewy Shelter Program: Chewy.com customers can purchase items from shelter's wish list and have them shipped directly to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Animals In Distress is a non-profit, no-kill animal sanctuary that rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes cats and dogs. It houses 300+ animals on a 42-acre property, providing medical care, behavioral rehabilitation, food, and shelter until permanent homes are found. Adoption fees, individual donations, and community fundraisers fund all operations with no government support.

Product overview

Animals In Distress is a non-profit no-kill animal sanctuary operating a single integrated service platform centered on animal rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption. The organization provides core services including pet adoption placement, volunteer programs, donation processing, and community fundraising events. The product portfolio consists of adoption services (matching rescued animals with homes), volunteer engagement (dog walking, cat socialization, fundraising), donation mechanisms (monetary and in-kind), and outreach programs (newsletter, virtual tours, fundraising events). All services support the shelter's mission of providing lifetime care for nearly 300 animals with no public funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tails of Hope: The organization's newsletter name

Products and services

• Pet Adoption Services

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WAEB 790AM / Bobby Gunther WalshcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1980Long-standing partnership with radio station WAEB 790AM and personality Bobby Gunther Walsh producing the annual Radiothon, the organization's single largest fundraiser. Bobby hosts live broadcasts from remote locations and the shelter. Partnership has spanned decades since mid-1980s.
• Redner's Warehouse MarketscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSave-A-Tape program where Redner's donates 1% of designated receipt totals (excluding tax, milk, cigarettes) to the shelter. Redner's has donated over $1 million to more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations through this program.
• ChewyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChewy Shelter Program allows customers to order items from the shelter's wish list with items shipped directly to Animals In Distress.
• Amazon / AmazonSmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazonSmile Foundation donates portion of eligible purchases when customers select Animals In Distress as their charity. Amazon Wish List also available for direct ordering of supplies.
• Center for Vision LossminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimals In Distress visited by 'Camp I Can' participants from the Center for Vision Loss. Camp is for blind and visually impaired children in Lehigh, Northampton, and Monroe counties. Participants completed community service project to help the shelter.
• Teen WorksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored the community service project at Center for Vision Loss that involved Animals In Distress.
• Lehigh Valley Airport AuthorityminorOthersAcquired the former Race Street property (Fashion Drive location) as part of their expansion area near Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: The oldest animal welfare organization in the U.S., providing sheltering, adoption, veterinary, and rescue services nationally. Comparable adoption and rescue mission but operates at a national level with paid advocacy and government relations functions.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National leader in the no-kill movement running the largest sanctuary in the U.S. and coordinating no-kill initiatives nationwide. Comparable mission and adoption services, but operates at a vastly larger scale and provides national programming.
• North Shore Animal League America: One of the largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organizations in the U.S. Comparable no-kill commitment, mobile adoption events, and extensive veterinary capabilities, though at a much larger national scale.

Regional players

• Pennsylvania SPCA: Statewide animal welfare organization headquartered in Pennsylvania offering adoption, humane police, and veterinary services. Operates in the same state and shares donor/supporter overlap with Animals In Distress.
• Main Line Animal Rescue: No-kill animal rescue and adoption organization serving the Philadelphia Main Line in Pennsylvania. Directly comparable no-kill philosophy, cat/dog adoption focus, and reliance on community donations.
• Delaware Humane Association: No-kill animal shelter serving Delaware and surrounding Mid-Atlantic communities. Comparable adoption-centered mission, volunteer-driven fundraising model, and similar regional donor dynamics.
• Lehigh Valley Humane Society: Animal welfare organization operating in the same Lehigh Valley geography as Animals In Distress. Provides adoption, humane law enforcement, and sheltering services, making it the most direct local competitor for adopters and donors.
• Animal Rescue League of Berks County: Animal welfare organization serving Berks County, Pennsylvania. Provides adoption, low-cost spay/neuter, and cruelty investigation, with a similar operational footprint and donor base within the broader Pennsylvania region.

Direct peers

• Charleston Animal Society: One of the oldest no-kill animal shelters in the U.S., offering adoption, low-cost veterinary care, and community education. Directly comparable mission, no-kill philosophy, and integrated community programming model.
• Brandywine Valley SPCA: A no-kill animal shelter serving the Brandywine Valley and surrounding Pennsylvania communities. Directly comparable to Animals In Distress as a no-kill rescue and adoption organization with similar surrender/adoption services and community fundraising model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/animals-in-distress

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Animals In Distress