Rural shelters in China run on almost nothing. Local communities in the US lack awareness and support.
No funds. No policy support. No social advocacy.
A Letter from Annika: What is the Problem?
From just watching to taking initiative:
Across social media, I began noticing a surge of videos of injured and harmed stray animals, left without any form of protection. I watched, felt sad, and moved on. I have had pets since 2012, and that’s when the distance between me and those images of animals getting harmed disappeared. The issue had started to become personal. In our neighborhood, there are multiple cases where pets were poisoned by pesticides, sometimes even intentionally drugged by those who hated animals. I started noticing how animals are incredibly vulnerable within man-designed, unnatural environments, not only in extreme cases, but in their everyday lives.
As I dug deeper into the issue, I realized that the problem was not only individual hatred or neglect, it has been systemic. Shelters, especially those in rural China, cared for hundreds and thousands of animals without any external support. Unlike in America,Chinese society prefers to purchase certain breeds, instead of adopting from animal
shelters, rendering the shelter population to soar without public attention. Conversations around animal welfare remained limited, with insufficient and nonexistent policy
protections. I also noticed how in my local community in Georgia, animal shelters operate in a more visible system, but still in need of engagement and resources.
What if support didn’t have to stay in one place? Pawsitive Impact was found as my way to respond not just through sympathy, but action.We have combined fundraising, community projects, and research to support shelters, raise awareness for animals in different places. I aim to build awareness across borders, recognizing needs defined by local policies, and recognizing that compassion for animals does not have to be restrained by geography.
We believe that animal rights should not depend on which side of the world it was born on. Through merch sales, campus events, and academic research advocacy, we are
removing resources to where they are needed the most, across all borders.
Feburary 2024
June 2025
Fall 2025
(ongoing)2026
Pawsitive Impact Founded
First Pop-Up Fundraising Event Donated to 全心犬意
Project Expansion & Community Engagement, project becomes bi-national
School Events, Social Media Updates, Research Development,and Advocacy Initiatives
Our First Step Wasn't Easy:
Our first fundraising pop-up stand didn’t go as smoothly as we thought it would. We thought to ourselves, " It’s just selling merch, wouldn’t that be easy?"
But after all, we spent almost 2 months preparing: designing products, ordering our merch products, and asking for a place that would allow high schoolers to set up. We are not an official business, and many malls and fairs rejected us, also because we were too young. We had to wait and actively seek the right opportunity.
I remembered it was a hot and rainy day when that day finally came, but people still stopped. Our first customer was an old lady who bought a dog magnet from us. We were all cheering and gave her a small discount because she’s the first to support Pawsitive Impact! We explained to those who stopped by that we were high school students trying to support animal shelters locally and internationally. There’s also a kind gentleman who stopped by and mentioned that the straps on our tote bags are a bit short and may be tight for those who are taller. We noted their feedback and refined our products for the second batch we ordered.
By the end of those two days, we raised 521.8 RMB! It wasn’t a huge number, but it was when Pawsitive Impact became real.
