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About Aloha Animal Alliance

Aloha Animal Alliance began with concern, listening, and a desire to give back to the island community that has welcomed us.

In 2021, our co-founder, Lauren Turnbaugh Foo, began noticing a change in animal-related conversations on Facebook and Instagram. Posts were becoming increasingly negative, reflecting frustration over free-roaming dogs, shelter access, euthanasia, and uncertainty about where people could turn for help. She began attending monthly County Council meetings to better understand what was happening and the challenges facing animal management on Hawaiʻi Island.

In 2022, the County established the Animal Control and Protection Agency, with a strong emphasis on enforcement. Meanwhile, the community was experiencing overlapping challenges: pandemic-era shelter closures and service disruptions, gaps in management, limited public guidance, and unmet needs for animal care. We saw a need for prevention, accessible services, and community participation to help address the underlying causes.

We formed a grassroots group called Hawaiʻi Island Pets Alive and began listening to residents, animal welfare organizations, and people working every day to help animals. We asked about their experiences, the barriers they faced, and the ideas they believed could improve the situation.

When we brought those concerns and ideas back to the County Council, we were advised that establishing a nonprofit would provide a formal structure through which the County could work with us. That guidance helped lead to the creation of Aloha Animal Alliance.

From the beginning, our focus has been on practical programs that prevent suffering, help families care for their animals, and reduce pressure on shelters and animal control.

One Health and Sustainability

One Health—the understanding that the health of people, animals, and the environment is interconnected—is the lens we use to evaluate everything we do. It guides our veterinary programs, community cat management, education, and partnerships. We consider the immediate need alongside the broader effects on families, communities, and Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems.

Sustainability is at the core of this approach. Our programs need realistic funding, responsible use of resources, and a team with the capacity to carry the work forward. We aim to develop solutions that our community can sustain and that provide lasting benefits for people, animals, and the island we share.

Bringing Veterinary Care Closer to Home

One of the clearest needs we identified was access to veterinary care. Community members, nonprofits, rescues, and shelters were struggling with both availability and affordability. A shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians, combined with the cost of care, put essential services out of reach for many.

In response, we developed our community wellness clinic model, bringing accessible veterinary services closer to where people live. Today, Aloha Animal Alliance hosts five community clinics each month in Kona, Ocean View, Pāhoa, Hilo, and Waimea. Veterinary professionals, volunteers, and community partners work together to make these clinics possible.

We are also working to expand access to spay and neuter services in West Hawaiʻi. Our next dog-focused clinic is scheduled for November 1, 2026. Increasing access to these services helps prevent unwanted litters and reduce future shelter intake.

Our veterinary team works directly with Animal Control twice each month to help address the backlog of veterinary needs on the west side. We would welcome the opportunity to expand this partnership through the County’s mobile veterinary services van, which we understand has returned to Animal Control. Together, we could bring care to more communities.

To help sustain our community programs, we have introduced an in-home veterinary service. This paid service offers care at market rates, with proceeds supporting additional community clinics. Building a full schedule on these service days is an important next step toward creating dependable support for accessible care.

We also provide veterinary assistance to nonprofits, rescues, and shelters, helping them care for the animals entrusted to them. Supporting these organizations strengthens the wider network of animal care across Hawaiʻi Island.

Testing a Managed Reserve for Community Cats

As our work expanded, we encountered another significant gap: where could free-roaming cats go when they could no longer remain in their existing location?

Conversations with caretakers, property owners, businesses, veterinarians, and community partners highlighted situations involving environmentally sensitive areas, development, displacement, and ongoing conflicts. Sterilization could prevent additional litters, but it could not resolve every concern about where cats were living.

We began developing a managed reserve concept: a secure, carefully maintained environment for sterilized community cats whose relocation is necessary. Its purpose is to support humane animal management while helping protect Hawaiʻi’s environment.

Through a partnership with a private landowner, the concept began taking shape on approximately five acres in Naʻālehu, in Kaʻū. Development involves secure containment, shelter, water, controlled access, acclimation, daily care, and veterinary oversight.

The reserve is currently in its test phase and is not yet fully operational. We recently welcomed our first residents from Hilton Waikoloa Village. This initial placement allows our team to observe how the cats adjust, refine care routines, and evaluate the practical requirements of managing the site before considering further expansion.

The model is based on closed admission, with placements tied to identified relocation needs, available capacity, and our ability to provide appropriate care. Cats entering the program are sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped, documented, and monitored. Every placement carries an ongoing responsibility, and development must proceed at a pace our team and resources can support.

The reserve fits within a broader approach to community cat management. Where cats can be responsibly managed in place, coordinated sterilization, controlled feeding, caretaker education, and monitoring remain important tools. Where environmental concerns or other conditions make continued management impractical, carefully planned relocation may provide another option. Adoption and partner transfers offer additional pathways for social cats.

We are using this test phase to learn, document results, and determine whether the model can be workable and sustainable. Coordination among landowners, veterinary professionals, caretakers, businesses, and public agencies is essential to that process.

Making Information Easier to Find

Access to information has been part of our mission from the beginning. People often need help understanding which services are available, where to turn, and what steps to take when an animal needs assistance.

We recently updated our website to include help bots for general questions about dogs and cats. These tools give visitors another way to find information and navigate available resources.

By connecting people with useful guidance and accessible services, we hope to help our community act earlier, make informed decisions, and prevent avoidable problems.

Building the Team for Lasting Change

As Aloha Animal Alliance grows, we are building what Lauren likes to call “the best team on the planet”—veterinary professionals, volunteers, and community partners who bring different skills and a shared commitment to our island.

Together, we are developing the programs and partnerships needed to substantially change how Hawaiʻi Island approaches animal welfare. We envision a future where accessible care, reliable information, prevention, and coordinated community action reduce the crises that place so much pressure on families, shelters, and animal control.

Our work began by listening and asking how we could turn concern into practical action. That continues to guide us as we work alongside our community and the County toward lasting change—for animals, for people, and for the island we share.