Hey PawSquad Summer friends, it’s Maanasa! I hope you’re having a great “remarkable rescues” week so far! This week we are visiting FOHA, which stands for“Friends of Homeless Animals” and is a no-kill cat and dog rescue/shelter/sanctuary. They are super unique in so many ways and I can’t wait to learn about them with you!
This is Laura, she’s the Operations manager at FOHA. We’ll meet the adorable adoptable puppy in this photo later!
FOHA sits on 40 acres of land as home to a mile worth of hiking trails, plenty of space for the animals to explore, and multiple catteries, kennel buildings, and outdoor homes for long-term dogs. The above trail map bulletin board was an Eagle Scout project by Grant Hobar. More about community involvement and volunteer opportunities with this great rescue in a bit.
FOHA’s motto is “home with us until home with you.” What does that mean? Well, it means that whatever animal they take in is guaranteed to have a home for the rest of their life. FOHA doesn’t give up on people or animals. They take care of them to their best ability until their fur-ever family finds them. Sometimes, though, that means FOHA becomes their fur-ever, loving family because they simply didn’t find their human family. Yes, this means that there are some animals at FOHA that have been there for a really long time! They are all just as lovable and adoptable, so let’s meet some:
This is Oscar, the longest resident and greeter at FOHA. He’s been here for 10 years and just turned 13! Oscar loves treats, and will bark until he gets them :). He lives in the village, which is an area with 10 little houses with front yards and pools for the longest residents! All the houses have AC and heating just like your house!
This is Gabe, he’s super energetic and loves to play! He is amazing at catching balls and can learn anything. He’s a little over 11 years old, also lives in the village, and would love to find a home with someone who would play with him every day!
Before we visit some of the catteries, let’s check out some of the other areas that FOHA keeps pups! For dogs that have a little more TLC (tender loving care), they have another village-like area with houses and pools for the dogs. Today we’re meeting Sophie, say hi!
Sophie is of course still adoptable, just like everyone else we’re meeting today. She’s 9 years old and has some problems with arthritis, which means she struggles a little bit with getting around and sometimes it can be a little ouchy to walk. (It’s the same thing that people of all ages can have).
Sophie gets what she needs from FOHA’s staff daily to help her be healthy & happy. But despite what her body tells her some days, she is incredibly super sweet and has a unique trait: she loves stuffed animals! I know I love stuffed animals, and I was excited to meet an animal that shared my passion.
Now we’re going to visit the catteries. FOHA has multiple main catteries, with one being home to all FIV+ cats. What is an FIV+ cat you ask? Well here are some things to know:
- FIV+ cats simply have a slightly weaker immune system that takes a little longer to recover from simple things like colds.
- They can still live long and healthy lives, and deserve homes with people who love them!
- FIV+ kitties are no different than non-FIV+ kitties – they play, cuddle, get zoomies, & want to be your bestfriend forever.
- Some FIV+ cats prefer living alone (like many non-FIV+ cats), but most can successfully cohabitate with non-FIV+ cats
- FIV is spread through extremely deep bites which are uncommon with most cats, in most cases FIV+ cats are very safe to live around other cats & humans!
- FIV+ cats deserve all the love!
All of FOHA’s catteries are open and free roam, designed just like a house with optimal snuggling spaces! If your adult registers to be a cat snuggler volunteer and you are over 10 years old, you
are free to join them!
This is JOY! She is a kitty up for adoption that needs a home all to herself. She’s not in a cage, but this is simply the door to her kitty room where she is looking out at us. She adores people but isn’t so keen on other animals. As Pawtectors we learn to respect the needs of every individual!
Remember how I mentioned the hiking trails earlier? Well guess what! As a Pawtector you can help make them even better for the humans and animals walking along them. You can help decorate rocks to brighten the area by painting them however you want, just like this:
You do have to be 13 in order to accompany an adult volunteer walking a dog, but in the meantime FOHA enrichment events are open to all ages! You can help make frozen frisbees, or make treat forage boxes. They happen twice a month, so be sure to check out FOHA’s website at https://foha.org.
Before we head out, let’s meet one more friend! You might have noticed her face in the first photo of this blog post. Her name is Piper, she’s still looking for a forever home, and is super sweet! Today we’re taking her on a walk to explore and play around. Movement and enrichment is so important for animals that live full time in shelters!
That brings me to my last point: fostering! I know we learned a little bit about fostering for kitten caboodle week, so this is just your reminder that fostering in any capacity helps shelters and rescues save even more animals, and can help long term residents get a break from the four walls of their shelter surroundings! At FOHA you can foster any animal for any amount of time (with approval). Even an overnight foster can help cats and dogs live happier lives!
Thank you again for joining me on this adventure, I had so much fun learning with you. If you or your family are interested in adopting or fostering, be sure to check out any of the animals here or any animal at FOHA in general! Compassion for animals is compassion for people, is compassion for all 🙂
Your PawSquad Summer friend,
Maanasa
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Credits
– FOHA (Friends of Homeless Animals)
– Debbie H – photos
– Maanasa S – photos
– Laura E – FOHA Operations Manager
If you haven’t signed up for PawSquad Summer, here’s the link for more information & to
sign up on our online learning platform: linkin.bio/pawtectorsprogram
PawSquad Summer “virtual” weekly camps run July thru August. Once a camp week goes LIVE, you will have access to it ALL summer. Super cool! You’ll never miss a day of animal
fun & experiences.
