Necessity is the mother of invention” is a mantra that Best Friends CEO Julie Castle deeply believes in. It’s a mantra that established her position in animal welfare decades ago, and it’s a mantra that ignites her leadership of an industry that was suddenly dismantled and reassembled overnight. COVID-19 has meant the end of animal sheltering as American society has known it since the 19^th century. As an industry, we’ve experienced steady incremental progress over the last two centuries; in the last few weeks, we’ve experienced a complete paradigm shift.

Julie is not alone in her leadership at this pivotal moment, and she’s the first to both celebrate and be humbled by that fact. On this episode of the Best Friends Podcast, Julie talks about what she believes is the future of animal care and sheltering, the critical yet forgotten power of neighbors, and why she thinks that “the best of us is showing right now.

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