CEO and founder of the Friends for Life Rescue Network, Inc, Jaqueline Santiago is a woman with an exceptionally big heart and spirit for animal housing needs.

Interview edited for brevity and clarity.

Who is Jacqueline “DeAmor” Santiago?
I’m a Latina animal rescuer residing in Los Angeles,CA. I co-founded the Friends for Life Rescue Network with my friend Cristina Figueroa in 2015. We received our official non-profit status in 2016. The rescue is entering its 5th year now! I also work full-time as an Associate Compliance Administrator in Skid Row finding resources and permanent, supportive housing for the homeless in the community.

When do you first remember caring so deeply for animals?
I’ve loved animals since I was a little girl. I grew up with dogs but was obsessed with cats for as long as I could remember. We weren’t able to have any cats growing up because of family allergies but it never stopped my love for them. In 2013, as soon as I was old enough and financially stable, I adopted my first 2 kittens.

What is the motivating factor behind wanting to create a cross-country network of rescues to eliminate shelter euthanasia and animal homelessness?
In 2014, I supported an animal rescue non-profit by fostering and, eventually, becoming a kitten nursery volunteer. Simultaneously, I began working with the Skid Row community, where I also had my first encounters with many kittens and unfixed feral cats. I later learned about the TNR strategy (Trap-Neuter-Return) and began fixing the feral colony. However, as I came across more kittens, I reached out to several rescues for help but everyone said they were full due to the season. After reaching out to dozens of rescues and receiving the same answer, I created a post on Facebook asking for help. A fellow volunteer, Cristina, reached out shortly after having attended an animal rescue conference. After chatting, we decided to create an organization designed to help non-rescuers find help through rescue organizations. Our original intent was to be in- between to help pair the two together. The need was so great in Southern California that the network became a primary intake avenue for rescues. Overcrowding in shelters, which leads to animal euthanasia, and roaming animals on the streets reproducing can all be solved by intense TNR. We have also grown to now intake dogs including those coming in from India.

I have seen the tireless efforts of TNR in a city with a TNR Injunction. We have been fighting against this uphill battle to reduce overpopulation on the streets (leading to cats becoming prey to coyotes, being killed by cars/illness/etc, well-meaning people picking up kittens and bringing them to overcrowded shelters, and more). When we originally created this organization, we thought the issue was connection (and sometimes it is) between the public and rescues. But now, having been doing this for a few years, the issue is overpopulation. We cannot “rescue” our way out of this. There are not enough homes for all of these homeless cats. What we need is city, county, and state funded TNR across the country. And by doing so, we will also help eliminate shelter euthanasia as well as greatly reduce homeless animals on the streets.

Our goal has morphed over time as I’ve grown as a rescuer. Our focus is now supporting local TNR organizations (intaking found kittens into our rescue while they spay/neuter the parents) and providing education on special needs care (a major focus in our rescue), and networking for help when people find animals on the streets. We also continue to rescue cats and dogs from the shelters, to help ease the strain on the shelters as well as have founded an intercept program with one of the local cities.

Taking from your experience as a woman of color, what have been some of the challenges you have faced in this field?
Being taken seriously by those outside of the rescue community. Animal rescue is a women led field but we still struggle to be taken seriously for our efforts and the work we put in. Our voices struggle to be heard when we are stereotyped as “Crazy cat ladies” or “Crazy animal rights activists”. On the outside, people dont understand the (unpaid) work that goes into rescuing hundreds and thousands of lives. When we try to fundraise, network, offer assistance, more often than not we are met with either resistance, distrust, or dismissed.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing women entrepreneurs today?
Finding support. Women entrepreneurs struggle to have their voices heard, find support from their peers, and struggle to be taken seriously in their efforts. Its often dismissed as being a “dream” that is unattainable. I’ve been fortunate to have been welcomed into the rescue community with fairly open arms and have been mentored by other rescues before we really got off the ground. The advice I received was priceless. Outside of the rescue community, I don’t believe anyone actually thought I would be successful. I also think a lot of people measure success by financial wealth and being a business owner does not necessarily equal wealth. What matters is the lives you touch.

What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking of fostering or adopting?
If you’re interested in adopting but aren’t sure what you’re looking for, I recommend fostering. Fostering is a wonderful way to save a life without the pressure of a lifelong commitment. Through fostering, you will be able to decide if the cat or dog is the right fit for you and your family. If not, they can get adopted by someone else and you can continue fostering until the right fit comes along. Fostering also allows rescues to save so many lives because there aren’t enough facilities to house these homeless animals. Most animal rescues are foster based and can only save based on how many foster homes are available. If you are interested in fostering for your local shelter or rescue, be sure to contact them! Most rescues are willing to work with what you’re able to offer (whether it be short term fostering, long term fostering, or “Foster to adopt”). Fostering is what changed my life and made me want to dedicate my life to rescuing.

What are the three valuable lessons you have learned from building your rescue and adoption network?
#1. We, women, need to stop competing against one another and work together. We all have the common goal of saving lives. All types of rescues are valuable. We have our TNR volunteers who solely focus on fixing feral street kitties. We have independent rescuers without official non-profit status that rescue as many lives as other 501c3 organizations. We work with small, foster-based rescues that don’t have a facility but who put forth effort into vetting adopters to ensure the safest and best homes. We also have high volume rescues with large intake and adoption rates that have shelter facilities. We need ALL the help we can get to make the biggest impact.

#2. If you’re passionate about something, go out there and just do it. Don’t wait for someone to make it easy for you. Put in the work and start taking steps in the right direction. So long as you are moving toward your goals, you are that many steps closer to accomplishing them.

#3. Share your knowledge. Over the years we have taken in a large number of medical cases. It’s the hard cases that really teach about the realities and necessities of rescuing animals. Sharing that knowledge has been so important to our work in the rescue community.

What is an important message for young women who are still in the early stages of their careers?
Don’t stop pursuing what you love. I always ask people: if money was a non-issue, what would your dream job be? You’d be surprised by those answers. Constantly making strides, even small steps, in the direction of your dreams will create more possibilities. I came into this industry with no experience in working with cats but I had a passion for their welfare. I had the desire to learn. Take that leap and jump in.

Why do you think it is important to support women in your field?
We are our biggest allies. Being there for one another brings value to everything we do. Standing together. Working towards the same goal and avoiding undue drama as not to distract from the work we do. By sticking together, we can make the biggest impact.

What are some effective ways people can get involved with Friends for Life Rescue Network?
There are many ways people can help both locally and internationally. At the local level, here in Southern California (specifically the LA area), we could really use transporters. Sometimes there are cats or dogs in need of rescue during regular work hours. We can also benefit from your fostering! Purchasing our merchandise or donating directly via paypal or at our in- house cat nursery for special needs cats via Patreon.

More information, please refer to the following links:

Friends for Life Network: www.friendsforliferescuenetwork.com
Adopting: www.friendsforliferescuenetwork.com/adopt
TNR: https://straycatalliance.org/support-tnr-in-los-angeles/