Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) located in Aldie, Virgina has been striving to give dogs and cats the loving homes they deserve for 51 years.
The organization was founded by Judge Anne Lewis in 1973. As she realized the struggles and the suffering that homeless animals endure, Lewis became devoted to providing animals with a safe place to thrive.
When she couldn’t find any other organizations that were strictly no-kill, she founded her own. Her shelter was established years before the 90’s when the no-kill movement began to take off.
Friends of Homeless Animals spans across 40 acres and is located in Loudon County, VA. Their motto, “Home with us until they’re home with you,” encourages the idea that the animals at the shelter will be in a loving and safe environment until they meet their forever family.
In 2023, bestfriends.org conducted a survey regarding the number of no-kill animal shelters in the United States. Out of the 138 shelters that participated in Virginia, FOHA is one of the 78 shelters that follow no-kill policies.
For a shelter to be “no-kill” it must have a save rate of at least 90%, which is the percentage of animals that come into the shelter and leave alive. Some no-kill shelters like FOHA only resort to euthanasia if the animal has severe health issues.
FOHA has helped thousands of dogs and cats find loving homes and they do so with exceptional programs, dedicated staff and volunteers, as well as an expansive property. Two of the more prominent programs at FOHA are the Senior Dog Plan and the Diamond Dog Program. These two programs focus on two types of dogs that are less likely to be adopted, senior dogs, and dogs with behavioral issues.
“Our senior program has been very successful. A lot of the times when someone’s looking to adopt a senior, their first hesitation is health problems coming along and the prices that will incur going to the vet,” says Laura Eddy, FOHA’s senior operations manager.
Eddy states that with FOHA’s Senior Dog Plan, the organization can pay upwards of $1500 worth of reimbursement for the senior dogs who get adopted. This helpful program eases any stress or worry adopters may have about taking care of older dogs, as the majority of the medical expenses can be taken care of thanks to FOHA.
Their Diamond Dog Program gives dogs with behavior quirks tailored training and techniques to resolve any behavioral problems they may have. Through this, both adopters and their dogs are given proper resources to cultivate a loving environment.
With their passionate staff and volunteers, FOHA is able to care for all of the animals in their shelter. “FOHA is probably one of the most magical places. The people who come and stay here really are coming here because it becomes a passion. It’s not a chore. It’s not like ‘Oh, I have to go help these animals.’ It’s the place that they want to be. Our staff is incredibly dedicated to these animals,” says Eddy.
She explains that FOHA only has eight kennel staff, and the rest are all volunteers. The volunteers love to care for the dogs and cats, they advocate, teach other volunteers, and help strengthen the FOHA community.
Mary Portelli is one of the volunteers at FOHA. She’s been volunteering for six years. To ensure that the dogs and cats have the best time at the shelter, she says volunteers try to find what makes each dog happy. They try to give them that during their stay and display them in the best possible light. “So we can get them adopted and get them homes of their own,” Portelli adds.
Another special part of FOHA is their facility. Several buildings are spread out across their property, including a Welcome Center, catteries, and dog villages for senior dogs, all surrounded by peaceful woods with trails and benches.
“You walk into any other shelter and it’s a building. You know, we’re more like a campus, you have different buildings on property,” says Eddy.
FOHA allows dogs and cats to live their best lives in a wonderful environment tailored to their needs. “We are around the clock caring for these guys, making sure they’re getting outside, making sure they’re fed…and making sure they’re in a clean, safe environment,” explains Eddy.
From their programs to their facilities, the FOHA strives to find caring families for all their animals, be a safe haven for abused or abandoned animals, and to achieve a future where homeless animals are a thing of the past and all dogs and cats have a loving home.
To learn more about FOHA or adopt a pet, visit https://foha.org/
