Our Mission

“40 years of creating and supporting programs to end pet overpopulation by preventing unwanted litters. Join us in this mission to save lives. Let’s make Marian’s Dream everyone’s dream.”

Make a Difference!

Take Action

Marian’s Dream convened a Spay Neuter Task Force which made several recommendations. These recommendations have been endorsed by:

  • AVMA
  • American Animal Hospital Association
  • Association of Shelter Veterinarians
  • American Association of Feline Practitioners
  • Cat Fancier’s Association
  • Catalyst Council
  • United Spay Alliance
  • The International Cat Association

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The Fix by Five campaign was developed to raise public awareness about these recommendations.

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Maine Cat Project (MCP)

The Maine Cat Project (MCP) has focused on slashing the number of unwanted, unplanned litters in the underserved areas of northern and western Maine. Over the past few years the numbers of strays and ferals – as well as shelter intakes – have been greatly reduced. With the generous help of the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, many thousands of cats have been spayed/neutered. The Fix by Five campaign has been promoted at the same time, raising awareness in the area.

Susan Hall, shown here with a cat adopted from one of the rescues MCP works with, is the coordinator of the program.

Our History

Since 1981, with the support of people like you, we have led initiatives to improve the health and well-being of companion animals.

Our Purpose

We create and support programs to end pet over population by preventing unwanted litters.

Our Belief

We know that change is made on the ground, with the hard work of grass-roots organizations and volunteers.

What They are Saying about us…

Ruth Steinberger Founder, Spay First

Marian’s Dream is unique in its willingness to help organizations meet the needs of their individual communities. They support innovative, effective new programs that develop spay/neuter services in underserved areas. Their motto is, “Work smarter not harder.”

Linda Chitwood Homeless Animals Relief Project

Love Marian’s Dream What a blessing to less fortunate animals in rural Mississippi she and Marian’s Dream have been. If you do not know the answer to an animal welfare concern in America, call Esther. She will know 🙂
Marian’s Dream has supported our mission to reduce animal overpopulation and suffering in north Mississippi; without that support and encouragement we could never have accomplished thousands of low cost or free spays of pets living with the poor. Companion animals are blessed to have Esther and Marian’s Dream in their corner, advocating for them through spay/neuter and the fixbyfive.org campaign. Marian’s Dream and Esther have spread the word that spay/neuter is the proactive, sustainable choice to end homelessness, and they have helped develop leaders throughout America to continue the fight against animal suffering. Our thanks to Esther and Marian’s Dream for their support that has made possible our progress against animal suffering here in Mississippi.

Elaine Fougere

Marian’s Dream has been working for several years to have the veterinary establishment endorse a “Fix by Five” policy for cats. They recently succeeded and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) now endorses this policy. In addition to the AVMA eight other national organizations now recommend that cats be spayed/neutered as early as five months of age.

This will prevent the birth of thousands of unwanted kittens and will save countless lives! Organizations endorsing “Fix by Five” include the American Veterinary Medical Associations, American Association of Feline Practitioners, Association of Shelter Veterinarians, American Animal Hospital Association, Winn Foundation, Catalyst Council, Cat Fancier’s Association, and the International Cat Association.

Marian’s dream needs your support so it can continue its work on
spay/neuter and other animal welfare issues!

Peter Marsh

I’ve worked to prevent cats and dogs from being needlessly put to death in shelters for more than twenty years. Much progress has been made during that time, largely through the work of Marian’s Dream and other foundations that have provided funding for small, grassroots organizations in areas where the greatest number of animals are dying.

Over the years, Marian’s Dream has fought well above its weight, saving more lives than many larger organizations and foundations, by providing funding for well-informed public awareness campaigns often overlooked by other funders, like its current Beat the Heat campaign. At the same time, it has undertaken strategic projects to organize and support a new generation of leaders by sponsoring annual retreats for shelter overpopulation activists from more than two dozen states.

As the editor of Animal People commented recently, the founder of Marian’s Dream, Esther Mechler has been an animal advocate for forty years and has founded or helped to found nine organizations of national prominence eight of which either still exist or have active descendants. Marian’s Dream gets things done because Esther Mechler gets things done.