There are two ways to save the lives of more pets: Find loving homes for them when they enter an animal shelter, and keep them in loving homes they already have so they stay out of the shelter in the first place.

“We’re already doing pretty well with our adoptions,” said Gina Knepp, animal care services manager for the city of Sacramento, CA, “Imagine how great we’d be doing if we could devote our resources to those animals who truly have to be in the shelter, instead of pets who just need a little help to stay in the homes they already have!”

That’s the concept behind KeepYourPet.com, a website started by five local animal shelters to help community members find the resources they need to keep their pets at home and out of shelters.

The project arose out of a collaboration between the City of Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter, the Sacramento SPCA, Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, and Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation, with financial support from the ASPCA. It represents what Knepp calls a “work in progress” that pulls together resources, such as a behavior helpline, re-homing support, and assistance with veterinary expenses that can mean the difference between a family surrendering their pet and keeping him.

KeepYourPet.com also provides residents with links to veterinary assistance programs, and a search engine for pet-friendly and pit bull terrier-friendly rental housing.

“In our shelter, the number one reason pets are surrendered is that they need veterinary care their owners can’t afford,” Knepp said. “Number two is breed discrimination in housing, or a lack of rental housing that allows pets.”

One woman who sought help through the website said she needed to find a new home for her dog. Knepp suggested a way to keep the dog out of the shelter and help the owner find the pet a new home. “Her dog remained with her, but ownership was transferred to us,” she said. “The owner became the foster parent for the dog, and she brought him to our adoption events until he found a new, loving home.”

Knepp has become so passionate about keeping pets in their homes she’s even given her animal control officers tool chests to allow them to fix broken fences and gates that allow dogs to escape their yards.

The growing focus on helping keep pets in their homes has been driven by the success of organizations like Downtown Dog Rescue in Los Angeles, Ruff Riders in Brooklyn, NY, and Dog Aide in Detroit. In fact, one of Knepp’s goals for the project is to implement a complementary in-shelter program similar to that of Downtown Dog Rescue, to provide support to people who come to the shelter to surrender their pets. She also wants to find a dedicated staff member of volunteer who can maintain the website and handle email inquiries.

“We have to do a better job,” she said. “People want to keep their pets. We want to find ways to help them do that.”