Animals First Strategic Partnership Announcement

This morning we’ve shared some exciting news about a new chapter for both Animals First and BarkPass. I encourage you to take a look at the PRESS RELEASE, it outlines the partnership and what we’re building together.

For me personally, this is a meaningful moment.

I’ve spent most of my career working alongside animal welfare agencies, learning from you, building with you, and trying to help solve the real, everyday challenges that come with this work. Over time, my focus expanded into new areas, including launching and growing BarkPass, but the core of what has always driven me is this community.

That’s why I’m especially excited about stepping into the role of Chief Growth Officer at Animals First. It gives me the opportunity to re-center my day-to-day work on the animal welfare space and re-engage more directly with the people and organizations at the heart of it.

There’s also no better time to be making this transition than this week.

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at the Best Friends Conference in Salt Lake City. These gatherings are always a great reminder of how collaborative, passionate, and forward-thinking this community is. If you’re there, please come by the Animals First booth and say hello, I’d love to reconnect, hear what you’re working on, and talk about where things are headed.

At the same time, I want to be very clear: BarkPass isn’t going anywhere.

Under Brian Hatfield’s leadership, BarkPass will continue to grow and evolve, with a strong focus on dog parks, pet licensing, and community engagement tools. And through our partnership with Animals First, we now have the opportunity to accelerate innovation even further; bringing more integrated, end-to-end solutions to the agencies we serve.

What excites me most is that this isn’t about choosing one path over another; it’s about strengthening both. BarkPass will keep getting better. Animals First will keep expanding its impact. And together, we’ll be able to deliver more complete, practical solutions to support animal welfare professionals and the communities they serve.

I’m incredibly energized about what’s ahead and grateful to be working alongside so many of you again in this capacity.

See you in Salt Lake City.