Island Haven Animal Sanctuary

A few of the first rescues – Contributed photo

The San Juan Islands are getting a new non-profit (because you can never have too many!).

Island Haven Animal Sanctuary’s mission is to provide lifetime care and sheltering for animals who, while still able to lead a quality life, are unable to find homes due to old age, chronic illness, handicaps, temperament issues or other factors, or who have been rescued from neglect and/or abuse situations and require rehabilitation.

One of the first rescues – Contributed photo

However, before we can provide a home for these special animals, we have to find a forever home for the Sanctuary. Donating it would be a great tax write-off for someone, or leasing it to us in-kind or for a reasonable amount are also options. Ideally it would be at least five acres, have fenced pastures, a barn and/or stables, running water and electricity, and either a small home or ability to put a trailer on it so a human caregiver can stay there if an animal needs around the clock care. So, if you or someone you know has such a location, please contact us as soon as possible at islandhaven[.]julie[@]gmail[.]com or 360-472-1040.

This all began about a month ago when I answered a FaceBook post to adopt three senior horses (two of them have never been ridden, one not in the last twenty years). These horses had been rescued years ago, along with a couple of alpacas, and now the farm they have been living on is being sold and they need to find a new home. The farm owners weren’t getting much response from their post – seems not many people want to take on three thousand-plus pound pets – so, rather than just adopt them, when there are other senior and potentially non-adoptable animals in need, I decided to create an animal sanctuary where all such animals have a place to live out their lives. The owners of the farm think it is such a great idea that they are helping too.

Rescued alpacas – Contributed photo

Because we live in such a unique place, the need for this sanctuary is actually quite large. Over the years, many residents have taken on animals that were in need of homes because of their owners moving off island, and moving the animals would be too stressful for them or too expensive for their owners. There are senior animals here whose owners are no longer able to care for them and there are animals that just aren’t adoptable for various reasons. Rather than have them go from home to home or live at the animal shelter for years, wouldn’t it be better for them to have a place they can live out their lives, a place of their own that belongs to the public, is run by volunteers and funded by donations and grants? We think it is.

Our programs will also include investigating animal cruelty/neglect situations and public education about how people can help end animal cruelty. To maximize our current efforts, we may seek to collaborate with other non-profit organizations, which will provide opportunities for community involvement in order to have greater impact for change. We will also be looking for volunteers who are interested in animal care and will reach out to schools, clubs and camps to get children involved.

We have completed all the necessary pre-steps and are filing our application for 501(c)3 status. We have the beginnings of a fabulous board of people who can make this dream a reality and who have experience in the animal welfare and non-profit world: Julie Duke (Executive Director, Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center), Jan Pierce Murphy (Operations Manager, Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor) and Susen Oseth (Animal Welfare Advocate).

I know we’re kinda putting the horse before the cart (wait, isn’t that how it’s suppose to work?), but we are anxious to get started helping as many animals as possible and now all we need is the location so we can figure out how many lives that will be. The farm where the horses and alpacas live is on the market and could sell at any time, so we are working against a serious deadline.

If you would like to know more about us and how to help, the website is almost finished and will be: www.islandhaven.org, there is a FaceBook Page at https://www.facebook.com/islandhavenanimalsanctuary and a gofundme campaign at http://www.gofundme.com/vqt8vw.

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