Go West, young man: Rich Anderson retires as head of Peggy Adams; heading to Oklahoma
Doggone it.
Rich Anderson, the superhero of shelter animals, has retired as the big dog of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.
Anderson, who is moving to Oklahoma, was executive director and CEO for 11 years. That's 77 years to the Jacks, Rotties, Pekes, Pugs and Bullies at Peggy Adams in West Palm Beach.
"It truly has been an honor and privilege to serve Peggy Adams and our community," Anderson said in a prepared statement.
"After 11 incredibly rewarding years as the executive director and CEO of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, I will be leaving this organization that I love dearly to start a new chapter in my life and career,” he said.
During his tenure, 54,000 pets have been adopted into forever homes; 3,000 lost pets returned to their owners; 66,000 lost, injured or homeless animals were temporarily sheltered; 71,000 family pets were fed through Peggy’s Pantry food bank for pets; and 133,000 spay and neuter surgeries performed. That's a lot of paws, claws and gaping maws.
He's also pretty good at the money thing, raising $95 million to benefit the mission and lifesaving work of the shelter.
"The growth, success and life-saving efforts of Peggy Adams have made this time, by far, the most rewarding period of my 32-year nonprofit career," Anderson said.
"I am so grateful for the remarkable people in our community and beyond who have always remembered the animals — our donors, volunteers, staff and those who have served on our board. ... together, we have accomplished so much and during my tenure, truly made a difference."
During his time at the helm, Peggy Adams partnered with Palm Beach County to initiate the Countdown 2 Zero (C2Z) to end the unnecessary euthanasia of pets in the community.
Since 2014, when the county shelter euthanized 1,865 dogs and 6,071 cats (saving 73% of their dogs and 29% of their cats), the C2Z programs brought the numbers down to 252 dogs and 841 cats in 2021. That's a 91% save rate for dogs and 81% for cats.
A 90% or better save rate is required for a shelter to be considered "no-kill."
At Peggy Adams, the dog save rate has been at or above 90% since 2018. The cat save rate is steadily improving, but at a slower rate because of the large population of feral cats in the county, the organization said in a release.
"All of us at Peggy Adams applaud Rich for the tremendous growth that has happened under his 11-year leadership. He has made a forever impact on our community and our organization, and we wish him all the best with his new chapter in Oklahoma,” board chairman Lesly Smith said.
Anderson's successor is Sue Berry, who has more than 20 years of experience in the animal protection and sheltering fields.
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League hosts two major fundraisers in Palm Beach. Its 51st annual Christmas Ball, now more than 50 years old, takes place Dec. 8 at the Sailfish Club, and its Young Friends group's Party Animals event is Nov. 19 at the Flagler Museum.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League's executive director retires
