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The association recognizes Mary Scott, owner of PamperPet-Pet Concierge in Santa Barbara, California, for her efforts to help feral cats and promote local pet adoptions.

KING, N.C. (June 14, 2019)—For Mary Scott, owner of PamperPet-Pet Concierge in Santa Barbara, California, her commitment to her local pet community extends far beyond operating her professional pet-sitting service. Scott dedicates more than 300 hours per year to her volunteer work at the Animal Shelter Assistance Program, the stray and open admission cat shelter in Southern Santa Barbara County, and this year Pet Sitters International (PSI) has taken notice. Scott has been named PSI’s 2019 Pet Adoption Advocate of the Year.

Since 1999, PSI, the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, has promoted pet adoptions through its annual Take Your Dog To Work Day® campaign. To further this mission, PSI created the Pet Adoption Advocate of the Year Award in 2012 to honor one PSI member each year who has gone above and beyond to promote local pet adoptions. PSI makes a $500 donation to the animal shelter or pet-rescue group of the recipient’s choice.

Scott has selected the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP) to receive the $500 donation in her honor.

“I am so honored to volunteer with ASAP and proud of the work that ASAP has accomplished in the animal welfare field over the past 30 years. Shelter animals and the cats we work with need us to stand up for them and speak on their behalf,” said Scott.

Scott has volunteered with the organization since 2009 and is a volunteer member of the organization’s leadership, serving as administrative program director since 2012 and as coordinator of the Working Cat Program since 2017. ASAP’s Working Cat Program places feral cats—who may have otherwise been euthanized—on farms, nurseries and ranches as mousers, helping control rodent populations. The program placed 47 feral cats in outdoor homes last year.

Scott says that when she isn’t pet sitting, she’s usually working on the behalf of ASAP shelter cats, performing administrative tasks such as creating cage cards with adoptable shelter cat personality descriptions on them, taking the census which helps ASAP track their cat population or interviewing potential feral-cat adopters. She also volunteers as a weekly lead caregiver each Wednesday evening at the ASAP shelter.

“PSI received award submissions from professional pet sitters across the United States and Canada who, in addition to pet sitting, work year-round to promote adoptions and improve the lives of adoptable pets in their communities,” said PSI President Patti J. Moran. “Selecting only one member to receive the 2019 award was no easy task, but PSI was impressed with Scott’s high level of involvement and her willingness to go above and beyond to help pets in need.”

Scott’s efforts extend beyond her local community, as she’s also begun networking with North Santa Barbara County shelters to assist them with feral cat placement since they have no formal working cat program. She’s also offered her assistance in extenuating circumstances, volunteering to help admit evacuated cats when ASAP served as an evacuation hub in December 2017 as the Thomas Fire raged in Santa Barbara.

To learn more about Scott and PamperPet-Pet Concierge, visit www.pamperpetsb.com. Visit www.asapcats.org to learn more about the Animal Shelter Assistance Program. For more information on Pet Sitters International and its Pet Adoption Advocate of the Year Award, visit www.petsit.com.

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