When you support pet owners, you save animal’s lives.
We began our unique Thinking Outside the Shelter program in 2008, offering support to pet owners so that they may keep their animals in their homes and out of the shelter system.
Since then, it has kept thousands of animals with their families. This is key to building a No Kill community. It’s also key to strengthening a bond that has long been missing between shelters and the communities we serve.
Houston should expect its shelters to do more than adoptions.
“We didn’t know where to go… we were terrified we weren’t going to be able to hold onto Drew.”
Charles
Pet Food Bank
A lost job, a death in the family or health issues can all lead to financial hardship. Feeding the family pet under these circumstances may be impossible. Friends For Life maintains a pet food bank of donated food, which we provide to pet owners on an interim basis while they are getting back on their feet.
Senior Support
We know that it happens every day in Houston: A senior will put their Meals on Wheels tray on the ground so that their animal companion can eat. That is not a choice anyone should have to make. We are proud to supply pet food to be distributed through aniMeals to make sure everybody has their own dinner.
Behavioral Counseling
Unwanted behavior is the most common reason animals are relinquished to shelters. Friends For Life provides behavior counseling, as well as resources, handouts and referrals to help families work with their pets and resolve behavioral issues.
Veterinary Assistance
Veterinary services are out-of-reach for some families. We help by providing some services at Friends For Life and by connecting some families with veterinarians through micro grants.
Veterinary micro grants
We know that veterinary bills can shatter a family’s budget. Sadly, we have seen pets surrendered by a loving parent due to lack of funds for a vet treatment. Through our veterinary micro grant fund, we are able to help keep families together.
Courtesy Internet Postings
Sometimes a family simply must give up their pet. An overseas deployment, a move into a nursing home or some other life-changing event can make this decision unavoidable. Adoption websites are a primary medium for advertising animals looking for homes. Because private citizens do not have good options for getting their pets onto the major websites, Friends For Life offers courtesy postings on PetFinder and Adopt-A-Pet.
And then some…
What a difference a fence makes… we were contacted by a family forced to give up their dog because he kept running at large. Friends For Life arranged for fencing materials to be donated, and our volunteers answered the call to build the family a fence that would keep “Rover” in his yard.