Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Heather Crowe of HIT Living Foundation Is Helping To Change Our World
Compassion fatigue is real and should not be taken lightly. Learn how to best provide support to your team when you feel or see someone reaching burn out.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Heather Crowe.
Heather Crowe, founder of animal rescue organization HIT Living, works tirelessly to do everything possible to make sure lovable pets find forever homes. The HIT (Honesty, Integrity, Trust) Living Foundation is a 100% foster-based animal rescue in the greater Los Angeles area. Founded in 2018, this nonprofit focuses on dog rescue, rehabilitation, and re-homing, as well as spay/neuter programs abroad. With open hearts and minds, HIT Living brings compassion to their work in animal and human welfare and provides financial and physical assistance during times of crisis.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In 2018 I was vacationing in Abaco, Bahamas. There was a Pitbull mix known as a Potcake (what mixed breed dogs in the Caribbean islands are called due to being fed the local dish of peas and rice, that is left caked to the bottom of the pan) named Kesa in need of a forever home off the island. At the time, I had been volunteering in the animal rescue community in Los Angeles and felt I had a vast enough network to get this Potcake adopted. With the help of some friends, we flew her back to Los Angeles from the Bahamas and within three days, she was adopted. It was then I knew I wanted to help dogs, especially underdogs, find their forever homes.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Within the first two years of HIT Living, my team and I found ourselves facing the aftermath of the Woolsey fires, rescuing animals from homes that stood amidst embers. In that timeframe, I was on the ground in Abaco, Bahamas, working with my team stateside, seven days after the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian had left the island devastated. Our mission involved flying dogs out for locals who would not leave them behind.
On March 16th, 2020, after we heard shelters were going to be halting outtakes while continuing intakes (a situation that often leads to the euthanasia of red-listed dogs to make room for incoming dogs), we went to Devore Animal Shelter (a high kill shelter outside of Los Angeles) and pulled as many dogs as possible aiming to do that with other shelters. The goal of our mission was to counteract shelters ending up in a position where they have to euthanize existing dogs to accommodate the influx of new arrivals as they approach capacity.
Thinking back on those early years, I could not have predicted the unexpected turns this career path would take. However, the most gripping and wild event of my career unfolded at the start of the pandemic when a story we shared on social media went viral. Overnight, our team of five and a few hundred social media followers grew into thousands of supporters. The growth brought with its hundreds of foster and adoption applications, numerous volunteer inquiries, and generous donations. This expansion enabled us to rescue hundreds of dogs with medical and behavioral trauma, and owner-surrendered needs throughout the challenging times of the pandemic.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It was 2018, and I had just received 501c(3) nonprofit status. I hadn’t even started fundraising yet and the very first dog I ever pulled from a Los Angeles kill shelter was a ten-month-old puppy named Brownie on the euthanasia list due to a broken leg. The shelter assured me that the leg had a clean break, had been treated, casted, and required a few more weeks in the cast for a full recovery.
It was my first pull, not to mention a medical case, and I was completely naive to the entire process. When I took her to our vet, she advised removing the cast and discovered that Brownie required a $3,000 surgery for her leg to heal properly. With no fundraising dollars in the bank to afford Brownie this surgery, I had a proper melt down and was scared to the core wondering if I had made the wrong decision to start a rescue on my own.
At the time, my boyfriend Bryan, known for his long hair and full beard, made a sacrifice. Bryan offered to cut his hair and shave off his beloved beard to raise funds for Brownie’s surgery. The response was overwhelming; we not only met the $3,000 goal but exceeded it. Brownie underwent the surgery, but tragically, as she was waking up, she flatlined and passed away from an unexpected blood clot. Our vet’s office chose not to charge us for the surgery given the heartbreaking outcome.
While the loss of Brownie was devastating, the funds raised laid a foundation for my rescue, teaching me valuable lessons about managing resources and understanding the types of dogs we could assist in the future. The experience taught me that sometimes, in the early stages of your venture, it’s crucial to get your toes wet rather than diving in headfirst.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social Impact?
The greatest social impact I feel we are making is through education on the truth about what is occurring at the shelters in terms of euthanasia rates and causes. For example, since the movement of modern-day inflation, animal shelters and rescues across the nation have seen a devastating tilt of the scale in terms of owner surrenders outweighing strays and found dogs. With the volatility of the housing market subsequent to the pandemic eviction moratoriums and increase in rent, owner surrenders are increasing the intake at shelters putting red listed behavioral dogs, medical dogs, and mothers and puppies at a high risk of euthanasia.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
While I can’t speak to one individual who was impacted by our cause, because there are countless, I do think it’s safe to say the majority of our adopters come back to us affirming, “I don’t know who rescued who here, but this dog has changed our lives for the better and we can’t imagine life without them”. Not only are we saving lives, but we’re making a lifelong, positive and ever lasting imprint on our adopters core life memories. Helping and changing the lives of two beings simultaneously is a profound feeling and effort our team makes each and every day.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Adopt, don’t shop. Promote adoption, become adoption advocates. Normalize adoption.
Spay and neuter your pets. Educate your friends, family, supporters, and community on the importance of spay and neuter.
Share the work of rescues on social media. Expanding the visibility of these dogs increases their chances of receiving medical treatment, finding a foster haven, or securing deserving forever homes.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an Example?
Truthfully, the idea of being a leader was never a coupled vision in my endeavors. I was content in being self-reliant and independent in most of my ventures. It’s my truly astonishing team that deserves the credit for molding me into a leader.
To me, leadership is a delicate dance of listening, networking, and skillfully assembling the puzzle pieces of diverse temperaments and personalities. It’s about cultivating and sustaining a work environment that is not just productive but also fosters happiness, health, and mutual understanding.
What are your 5 things I wish someone told me when I first started and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Delegate responsibility: your mission, work, and growth will stall if you try and do it all yourself.
You’re not going to be able to save them all, focus on the ones you can.
Compassion fatigue is real and should not be taken lightly. Learn how to best provide support to your team when you feel or see someone reaching burn out.
Learn how to use Google Drive applications, it will become your best friend.
Before you make any purchases for your organization, always reach out to the seller to see if they offer a nonprofit discount.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Altering our stream of conscious thoughts in reaction to adversity: In the face of adversity, our initial response is often negative, even in seemingly minor incidents. By actively cultivating the habit of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, we have the opportunity to initiate a chain reaction of kindness and compassion; a level of empathy the world is aching for.
Can you please give us your favorite Life Lesson? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
In 2017, a year before establishing the HIT Living Foundation, I had the Latin proverb “Esse quam videri,” translating to “to be rather than to seem to be,” tattooed on my rib cage.
This decision came on the heels of closing a niche business that, unfortunately, didn’t fare well. Despite the setback, I found myself in a unique and privileged position, affording me the time to contemplate my future ventures.
I’ve never been inclined to dabble in various endeavors to see what sticks, I commit my money, time, and reputation to ventures I wholeheartedly believe in. This principle guided me when I founded HIT Living, reinforcing my purpose with a quote from Gandhi that I live by: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Five years later, this mantra resonates within our team, shaping our daily efforts to embody the change we are aspiring to see in the world.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I have two! (please feel free to use just one if that’s easier!)
Mandy Coehn, CDC Director, to address the immediate reconsideration of the ban on the importation of dogs into the U.S. from high-risk dog rabies countries. Ever since the ban went into motion, shelters and rescues across the world who had been sending rescued dogs from circumstances of heinous abuse, neglect and painful deaths, have come to a complete standstill. Many of them are left crippled and financially strained, struggling to provide for their rescued dogs day after day with no exit strategy for them that can come soon enough.
Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles to discuss shelter funding/budget, animal care and control funding/budget, spay/neuter initiatives/funding, breeder permits, and dog abuse laws in Los Angeles.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers can follow our work on social media:
Instagram: @hitlivingfoundation
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hitlivingfoundation
Website: hitlivingfoundation.org
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Heather Crowe of HIT Living Foundation Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.