WAGS

What WAGS does

WAGS (Waiting Animals Getting Support) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, foster-based animal rescue organization founded in 2017 by Sue Furtado and headquartered in North Dighton, Massachusetts. The organization rescues abandoned, abused, and at-risk animals — primarily dogs — placing them in volunteer foster homes until permanent adoption, without operating any shelter facilities. WAGS serves individuals and families across Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire, while sourcing animals from 21 states, and has supported 1,000+ dogs through adoption, rehoming, or resource provision since inception, with 16 sanctuary dogs currently in long-term care.

The organization's core service lines are interconnected: animal rescue and intake, foster placement, adoption matching, volunteer coordination, and donation/fundraising processing. Operations are powered entirely by third-party SaaS tools: Shelterluv for animal management, adoption and foster applications, and matching; Zeffy for embedded donation forms and recurring 'WAGS Warrior' monthly subscriptions; PayPal and Venmo for one-time monetary donations; and Amazon Wishlists for in-kind supply donations. WAGS also operates WAGSTOCK, an annual music festival that serves as its flagship community fundraising event, supplemented by wine nights, spa parties, bowling, and additional live music events.

The business model is donation-driven rather than commercial. The $595 standard adoption fee (covering vaccinations, microchipping, preventatives, and spay/neuter) offsets some per-animal cost, but the majority of revenue flows from individual donors, corporate sponsors (approximately 10 visible partners including Equity Real Estate), and event proceeds. WAGS is 100% volunteer-run with no paid staff, no facility overhead, and a Board of Directors composed of C-suite volunteers including Founder/President Sue Furtado, Chief Animal Officer Josie Rezek, Chief Operating Officer Theresa Brasile, Chief Financial Officer Kathy Kangiser, and Chief Administrative Officer Donna Fernandes. The organization's growth is structurally bounded by available foster home capacity and volunteer bandwidth.

Name

WAGS

Legal name

Waiting Animals Getting Support (WAGS)

Website

https://wagswaitinganimals.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WAGS is a 501(c)(3) foster-based animal rescue operating across Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. Founded in 2017 and run entirely by unpaid volunteers, it rescues abandoned and at-risk dogs, places them in foster homes, and facilitates adoptions funded by donations, adoption fees, and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Rescue Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF), Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Animal rescue services
• Foster-based rescue
• Pet adoption services
• Animal welfare nonprofit
• Volunteer animal care

Headquarters

HQ city

North Dighton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: WAGS generates revenue through donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and fundraising events. The organization is 100% volunteer-run with no paid staff, so donations go directly to animal care including vet bills, food, and transport costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WAGS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, foster-based animal rescue organization that rescues abandoned, abused, and at-risk animals (primarily dogs) and places them in volunteer foster homes until they can be adopted. The organization operates with no shelter facilities and no paid staff, relying entirely on a network of volunteers and donations to provide veterinary care, transport, and rehoming services across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and parts of Maine.

Product overview

WAGS (Waiting Animals Getting Support) operates as a foster-based animal rescue organization without shelter facilities. The organization offers a unified set of interconnected services: animal rescue and intake, foster care placement, adoption matching, volunteer coordination, and donation/fundraising processing. Core service delivery relies on Shelterluv for animal management and matching, with donations processed through PayPal, Venmo, and Zeffy. The WAGSTOCK annual music festival serves as the flagship fundraising event. All services are delivered by volunteers with no paid staff, with operations limited by available foster home capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animal Rescue and Rehoming Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Corporate SponsorsminorOthersMultiple corporate sponsors support WAGS through financial contributions. The organization actively recruits corporate sponsors and offers sponsorship tiers for businesses wanting to support animal rescue.
• Humane Society of the United StatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAGS founder Sue attended the International Expo Conference hosted by the Humane Society of the United States in 2017, which inspired the creation of WAGS. This represents a foundational partnership in the organization's formation.
• ShelterluvcoreTechnology or IntegrationWAGS uses Shelterluv for animal management, adoption and foster applications, and matching services. Shelterluv powers the adoptable animals page and application process.
• ZeffycoreTechnology or IntegrationWAGS uses Zeffy for donation processing, including the embedded donation form and monthly supporter sign-up. Zeffy provides the platform for credit card donations.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayPal is used as one of the payment methods for one-time monetary donations to WAGS.
• VenmocoreTechnology or IntegrationVenmo is used as one of the payment methods for monetary donations to WAGS.
• Amazon WishlistsminorOthersWAGS maintains multiple Amazon Wishlists for sanctuary dogs, special needs dogs, and general supplies, allowing donors to purchase needed items directly.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eleventh Hour Rescue: New Jersey-based foster-only dog rescue pulling dogs from high-kill regions. Highly comparable to WAGS in foster-only operational model, multi-state transport sourcing, and volunteer-driven structure.
• Northeast Animal Shelter: Massachusetts-based nonprofit dog and cat rescue focused on adoption. Closely comparable to WAGS as a New England dog rescue running adoption and foster programs with similar volunteer-driven DNA.
• Lucky Dog Animal Rescue: Foster-based dog rescue operating in multiple states with a volunteer-driven, no-kill model. Highly comparable to WAGS in operational structure (foster-only, adoption fees bundling vet care) and similar mission around at-risk dogs.

Regional players

• MSPCA-Angell: Major New England-based animal welfare organization operating adoption, veterinary, and advocacy programs. Directly comparable to WAGS as a regional rescue serving overlapping MA geography, though MSPCA operates a full shelter hospital rather than a foster-only model.
• Animal Rescue League of Boston: Long-standing Massachusetts animal rescue and adoption organization. Comparable to WAGS in regional mission and dog adoption focus, but operates physical shelter facilities versus WAGS's foster-based model.
• Second Chance Animal Services: Massachusetts-based nonprofit offering adoption, veterinary, and community programs. Comparable regional peer to WAGS with overlapping MA service territory and similar mix of rescue and adoption services.

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: National animal welfare organization running adoption, advocacy, and veterinary programs. Comparable to WAGS in mission space but at vastly larger scale with paid staff, shelters, and national fundraising reach.
• Humane Society of the United States: National animal welfare organization and the inspiration for WAGS's founding. Operates as a broad policy, advocacy, and grantmaking body rather than direct rescue, but defines the broader ecosystem WAGS operates within.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare organization running sanctuaries, adoption programs, and shelter partnerships. Comparable mission to WAGS around at-risk dogs, but operates at much larger scale with owned facilities.
• PetSmart Charities: National animal welfare funder supporting adoptions across thousands of partner rescues. Comparable to WAGS in mission but operates as a grantmaker and adoption facilitator rather than a direct rescue operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waiting-animals-getting-support-a-nonprofit-corporation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 WAGS