Meet Justin Ruffier | Animal Rescue Marketer and Fundraiser

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Ruffier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I honestly don’t give much thought to my personal legacy, but I do think a lot about making a lasting impact. As someone who works with animal rescues, I’ve always wanted to be a voice for the voiceless. Three years ago, I began volunteering with local cat rescues and began feeding my neighborhood alley cats daily. I wanted to get hands-on experience working with animals and I quickly learned that what I’m able to do myself is almost never enough. I’ve helped six of my neighborhood cats get out of the alley and into forever homes, and I’ve helped hundreds of cats get adopted. However, new cats seem to show up in the alley often, and there are thousands of cats still waiting to be adopted. It’s almost as if nothing will ever be enough.

I realized very early on that I can’t judge myself based on who I can’t save but rather focus on the impact I can make. I also realized that helping one or two cats isn’t going to change the world, although it does change the world for them. So I started thinking bigger.

One of the first steps to solving a problem is to understand it. Understanding a problem often starts with counting. We currently have very poor estimates of outdoor cat populations, and the methods used to count and report on community cats are unsatisfactory. The count of outdoor cats in San Diego ranges widely from 300,000 to over 1,000,000. I think if we can know the number and locations of all outdoor cats and colonies, we can deploy resources and secure proper funding to adequately care for them.

So, I launched a startup under my LLC, Animal Cause Marketing, to make a mobile app that uses cat facial recognition to identify and catalog cats. It’s called Whisker Tracker, and the concept is simple. Many cat lovers already take pictures of the outdoor cats they see when they are on a walk or out and about, and we can use this data to create a database of cat sightings. Whisker Tracker uses facial recognition to match cats, has a fun walk-tracking feature, and allows the user to load basic cat profile information (such as q name, spay/neuter, or health status). We also cross reference the cat profiles with missing cats, helping to find lost pets. The cat’s locations will remain private to protect the cats, and in the future, we’ll allow verified animal rescues access to cat profile data to support the colonies or respond to sick or injured cats.

The app is designed to bridge the gap between casual cat lovers and the rescue community, thus bringing in new resources and energy to support shelters and TNR (trap, neuter, return) rescue teams. It’s estimated there are about 100 million stray cats in the US alone. My aspirational goal with Whisker Tracker is to identify 1 billion stray cats and dogs worldwide.

I don’t want my legacy to be about personal recognition. I want to have a greater impact on the rescue community to better support the animals living on the mean, unforgiving streets.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always considered myself to be creative. My parents tell stories of me trying to make silly gadgets as a kid to solve problems like having to make my bed daily. I have a marketing degree from the University of Oregon, but it wasn’t until a bit later in my career that I was able to have a true marketing job. I’ve now been in marketing for over 14 years, and my creativity has expanded beyond marketing to solving business challenges. Keeping an open mind and looking for novel ways to solve long-standing problems is something I take a lot of pride in. The world is changing at such a rapid pace, and the way we’ve been doing things, in so many regards, is now either outdated or inefficient.

When I joined the animal rescue community a few years ago, I set my mind on solving one of their biggest problems. There is a lot to choose from. I began by learning how things are done, asking a lot of questions, and finding out what some of the barriers are preventing us from having a greater impact. I landed on the idea for Whisker Tracker, a mobile app that uses facial recognition to identify and catalog cats. By making a fun, gamified solution to taking pictures of outdoor cats, we can bridge the gap between casual cat lovers and the rescue community to create a useful database of community cats while also expanding the community of cat supporters.

The app launches later this summer, and I’m excited to hear everyone’s feedback as we iterate towards product market fit. I’m trying to do something that has a global impact and saves lives, so I expect there to be many challenges to overcome along the way. I plan to tackle the hardest problems first and won’t stop until we have success!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have friends who visit from out of town often, and San Diego truly offers one of the best experiences in the world. We usually start with a beach day, walking up and down the boardwalk in Mission Beach and stopping at restaurants and bars along the way. Liberty Station is also one of my favorite places to visit. I love walking the park and then stopping at one of their many unique restaurants and shops. Lastly, there are some great hikes around town. I happen to live on a canyon near downtown, so I like to take my guests on a three canyon hike that begins out my front door. We finish the hike at Nates Bar and Grill, which corners a Nursery where we can buy small native plants to take home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The first name that comes to mind is Hannah Shaw, the Kitten Lady. I met her at Cat Camp here in San Diego in 2022. I was inspired by her story and lifelong dedication. Since then, I’ve been surrounding myself with mentors online, mainly on YouTube. I’ve found stoicism from Ryan Holiday as a way to cope with the mental health challenges of working in animal rescue and the horrific scenes we are sometimes witness to. I also follow marketing gurus like Alex Hormozi and admire the zero-principle thinking from Bryan Johnson and Blueprint. The ecosystem of online mentors has given me insights into new ways of thinking and approaching problems that I never thought possible. I’ve also developed a new work ethic that I would not have been capable of a few years ago. If you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, find the right 5 people, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.

Website: https://animalcausemarketing.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trapandreturn/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinruffier/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/beachmarketer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrapAndReturn

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiLNQ_rH9o1P9861QNhr4BA

Image Credits
All images were taken by Justin Ruffier