Meet Autumn Davis

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Autumn Davis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Autumn below.

Hi Autumn , thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

Not enough is said about compassion fatigue. I don’t cuddle kittens and puppies all day – animals often come to me after being abused or neglected, and continuously taking on animals in need can be overwhelming and stressful. They need housing, food, and vet care for starters. For every animal we assist there are more pleas for help. It gets to me physically, emotionally, psychologically – without enough volunteers I can’t always take the break that I need. You witness a lot of awful things when rescuing. Animal welfare work is exhausting. That’s reality.

Thankfully, my community gets it, and has been very responsive when I ask for help. They donate, they volunteer, and we work together to save lives. Be able to tell the story, to pitch your vision, and tell people exactly how your goals can be reached – then celebrate your achievements and thank everyone who made it possible. In short, know how much you can take on (micro target) and ask for help (use and sustain resources) in order to avoid burnout.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started a tax-exempt nonprofit called First Watch Rescue. Our mission is to perform Trap-Neuter-Release, rehabilitate and rehome animals in crisis and inspire a community through demonstration of the animal-human bond.

Fixing an outdoor cat stops its cycle of homeless, suffering kittens. We allow people to donate towards our TNR – for $50 they can give us a name and we’ll take a cat off the street and name them whatever the donor chooses (which is often someone’s ex). “You Couldn’t Fix Them – But We Can!” allows us to “fix” their ex, and we supply a photo along with the certificate of service to them afterward. We have had people donate in honor of someone beloved, neuter the name of an unfavorable family member or employer – people get creative and really appreciate being able to see exactly how their donation went to work making a difference.

Our social media content is very transparent about what we’re up to. People can follow us as we get requests to rescue different animals. Cats, dogs, fish, guinea pigs, and now chickens – the list keeps growing. When our intake is low we accept transfers from Detroit Animal Care and Control and occasionally get a canine from Inkster Police after it goes unclaimed for several days. Most of our animals in foster care came from online requests for help, either sent directly to us or relayed by a scout browsing local forums. We like to share the adventures and lessons learned along the way.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

One valuable lesson that sticks out in my mind came from the CEO of Feline Fund, Tara Tomcsik-Husak. I was fortunate to meet with her as my rescue was just becoming recognized as a 501(c)(3) and I had the chance to compliment her brand and ask her how, in the dismal world of rescue, she always managed to exude high-energy and hope. She explained that self-awareness – knowing what drives her and what strengths she can use to change lives – has kept her aligned and motivated to make every day a success. She agreed that so long as there is an overpopulation of suffering felines, our efforts will “never be enough” , but by doing everything we can as best as we can, we make a difference and that’s what matters! EVERY animal adopted is worth the effort, EVERY outdoor cat that we fix is better off in several ways. Thanks to Tara, I operate more confidently with the concept of truth being ever-challenging, ugly at times and ultimately rewarding. (https://felinefund.org)

Learn From the Best – First Watch Rescue would never have formed without having been inspired by another Metro-Detroit nonprofit, Happy Paws Haven. That rescue has mastered the many moving parts needed from TNR to adoption, and I was lucky enough to volunteer for them and witness some of what it takes to organize such a daring feat as their motto “no paws left behind”. President Gina and VP Sydney never made it look impossible, and I was inspired by them to build my own team and get even more homeless animals off the streets. (https://happypawshaven.pet)

Study and research! I highly recommend a trap-neuter-release course for people who are interested in fixing feral cats as a humane means of animal control. All About Animals, a low-cost clinic operating out of Michigan, offers online sessions to anyone interested. Their education helped me become an effective trapper. (https://allaboutanimalsrescue.org)

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

As an animal rescue, we can’t operate without ongoing help from others. Some of our best collaborations have been with animal advocates who weren’t affiliated with any corporation, but just wanted to be a part of something bigger. We’re looking for regular people who care about the cat and dog overpopulation in Michigan.

We would love to find someone who could organize fundraising events – each team member is taking on multiple roles and we don’t ever have enough time to go after opportunities to raise funds. We’re also looking for feral feline trappers, driver transports to take animals to and from the vet, and fosters who are willing to take an animal in to their home temporarily and “babysit” them until they are old enough for adoption.

Even those with the most limited resources can have a big impact if they simply tell their family and friends about us, become followers on our social media platforms and engage with our posts, share our events with their followers, or write a positive review about their experience with us. Reach out if you’re looking for a way to make a difference!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.firstwatchrescue.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstwatchrescue
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/First-Watch-Rescue-of-Farmington-Hills-MI-100085240655171/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-watch-rescue
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/1stWatchRescue
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/first-watch-rescue-farmington