Our mission is to apply evidence-based expertise to support and elevate the work of animal shelters and public service providers. Through a collaborative approach, we help design practices and spaces that improve outcomes for animals, staff, and the communities they serve.
We can help turn good intentions into reliable systems that elevate animal shelters and community service providers.
Side-by-side with teams, we use evidence, clear frameworks, and just-enough humor to declutter chaos and give great work nine lives—designing practices and spaces that honor the human–animal bond and measurably improve outcomes for animals, staff, and communities.
Healthy teams create healthy outcomes. When people feel supported, equipped, and valued, animals thrive too. We help build systems and cultures that empower caregivers—because when your team thrives, everything else does too.
We support people and animals with systems that actually stick. Not quick fixes—sustainable practices that work for individuals and whole populations.
You’re the expert on your shelter and community. We show up curious, listen hard, ask clear questions, and co-create change that fits your reality.
We learn from misses, celebrate meaningful wins, and own our mistakes. We build in time to paws and recharge—rest is part of the work.
We lean on science and proven methods, stay open to new data, and make decisions that work in the field—not just on paper.
Everyone deserves to be valued and resourced. We amplify voices, examine our own biases, and keep doing the work to improve the systems we touch.
Hi, I’m Dr. Becky Stuntebeck — veterinarian, shelter medicine specialist, founder of Paws to Elevate, and unabashed enthusiast of tahini and cats (in that order, depending on the day).
After more than a decade working in animal shelters and shelter medicine outreach programs, I founded Paws to Elevate to help animal care organizations find practical, evidence-based ways to do their best work. My goal is straightforward: to make life measurably better for animals and for the people who care for them.
I’m a board-certified shelter medicine veterinarian with experience in animal shelter operations, facility design, and access-to-care veterinary programs. Before launching Paws to Elevate, I worked with the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, the ASPCA, and the University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Program, and served as the lead veterinarian at two shelters in Wisconsin, where I live.
I love digging into data, supporting new building projects, and untangling complex operational challenges to make sheltering work smoother and more sustainable. But what energizes me most is connecting with the dedicated professionals in this field — listening, learning, sharing insights (and the occasional cat meme), and celebrating progress, whether it’s a breakthrough system change or a single dog finally getting adopted.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me outside, reading, or spending time with my family, which includes one elderly cat, an anxious but lovable super mutt, and two chatty guinea pigs who keep us humble with their prodigious output.
We tackle the operational headaches—everything from training your staff and improving clinic workflows to budgeting and expanding services.
