Grants at work: Saving pets in Las Vegas

When Mona, a gentle white dog with warm brown patches around her eyes, developed a rapidly growing mass on her chest, her family faced an impossible choice. The surgery she needed cost thousands of dollars — far more than they could afford. Their 9-year-old son couldn’t imagine losing his best friend, but they had no options left.

Then they found Hearts Alive Village.

Through the organization’s Access to Care program, launched with a grant from Best Friends Animal Society, Mona received the surgery she needed and returned home to the people who love her most.

“She’s happy, healthy, and back with her family,” says Christy Stevens, founder and executive director of Hearts Alive Village. “The family made a thank-you video. Their little boy was crying with joy. That one sticks with me.”

Mona’s story represents what Hearts Alive does best: keeping pets with their families and out of shelters.

Hearts Alive Village began with Christy’s daughter, Kendall, who wrote in her fifth-grade school journal: “If I had one wish, I would have an animal sanctuary and rescue, and I would call it Hearts Alive.”

“That dream changed all our lives,” Christy says. “I got out of the rat race and invested my energy into something that truly mattered.”

Today, that fifth grader is 23, and Kendall now works alongside her mom as Hearts Alive Village’s right hand, helping lead the organization she once dreamed up in her journal.

The small but mighty organization in southern Nevada reaches more than 2,500 animals a month through programs like pet food and supply assistance, low-cost veterinary care, training and rehoming support, and temporary boarding for families in crisis. They save another 2,500 animals each year through adoptions.

“We’ve built an ecosystem that supports families and prevents pets from ever needing rescue,” Christy says. “That’s the goal.”

That philosophy led to the creation of the Access to Care voucher program, which allows animal services officers in Clark County, the City of Las Vegas, and North Las Vegas to offer vouchers for veterinary care, giving families help instead of citations and keeping animals out of shelters.

Working closely with each jurisdiction, Hearts Alive designed a program that met their needs and budgets. Each voucher covers up to $600 in veterinary care, and if a family is unable to pay the difference in cost, they will cover the rest out of donated funds. Hearts Alive’s nonprofit clinic provides the services directly.

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Kickstarting with a Best Friends grant and supplementary budget from two of the shelters, the program’s success was immediate. Clark County doubled its initial contribution, the City of Las Vegas matched it, and even North Las Vegas, which couldn’t contribute financially at first, now funds a portion on its own. The program has become self-supporting.

“These grants should start something sustainable, and Hearts Alive really gets that,” says Best Friends’ Tracy Kelley, who works closely with shelters and rescue groups in the area.

Since its launch in 2023, the program has helped hundreds of families keep their pets at home and out of the shelter.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Christy says. “Families stay together.”

The benefits go far beyond the numbers. Christy says the program has strengthened relationships between shelters and rescue groups and animal services officers.

“It used to be adversarial between officers and shelters,” she explains. “Now it’s collaboration. The officers tell us this program is one of the bright spots of their day.”

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At Hearts Alive’s full-service nonprofit veterinary clinic, two full-time human services specialists manage the voucher program and coordinate with the jurisdictions. “They’re the best problem solvers on the planet,” Christy says. They build relationships and work together with people on ways to keep their pets happy, healthy, and at home.

“People want to do right by their pets,” Christy says. “They just need a little help.”

Innovation doesn’t stop there. Through a Rachael Ray Save Them All Grant from Best Friends, Hearts Alive launched a hybrid foster program with Henderson Animal Protection Services.

“It’s almost like doggy daycare,” Christy says. “If you work full time, you can drop your foster dog off at our adoption center during the day and pick them up after work.”

This flexible approach has saved more than 50 large dogs since it began just a few months ago. The model allows foster volunteers to participate on their own schedules — for example, keeping dogs at home part of the week and having them showcased at the adoption center the rest of the time.

“Our adoption rate for large dogs has skyrocketed,” Christy says. “They’re happier, and they’re going home faster.”

The impact of Hearts Alive Village extends beyond its walls. They continue to strengthen the network of shelters and rescue groups working to make southern Nevada no-kill.

Christy says the partnership with Best Friends feels full circle. “We used to visit (Best Friends Animal) Sanctuary when my kids were little,” she says. “To be working together now, it’s beautiful.”

Together, Hearts Alive Village, the Rachael Ray Foundation, and Best Friends are helping push the Las Vegas area closer to becoming no-kill, one creative solution at a time.

“Sometimes my team looks at me sideways when I bring up a new idea,” Christy says with a laugh. “But once they see families like Mona’s staying together, it energizes everyone. We’re proving that when you support people, you save pets, too.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.