WAYNETOWN — After coronavirus restrictions are lifted, the Home for Friendless Animals wants to go back out in the community.
The staff of the no-kill animal sanctuary near Waynetown is looking forward to taking dogs and cats to classrooms and Bible schools again, planning fundraising events and putting volunteers to work, as potential pet adopters book appointments to find a furry companion.
“When we get an adoption, it’s just a happy time,” co-manager Peggy Fischer said.
Fischer and a half-dozen employees care for the 66 dogs and 113 cats housed at the sanctuary, a non-profit organization that operates entirely on donations. The facility is currently full.
The dogs have the run of four fenced-in fields and kennel runs while the felines live in a cattery. Only indoor dogs are adopted out.
The sanctuary first opened in 1943 near Bridgeport, which later became a neighborhood of Indianapolis, before moving to Noblesville in 1960. The sanctuary has operated on a 73-acre farm on C.R. 200S south of Waynetown since 2002.
A year later, Fischer, who had worked for the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, was looking for a job when she was hired by the sanctuary. She left in 2013 but returned about a year ago.
“I just couldn’t stay away. I just love the animals so much,” Fischer said.
On Facebook, the agency recently posted a “wish list” for laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, 13-gallon drawstring trash bags, dog and cat treats, canned dog and cat food, clumping cat litter, white vinegar — which is used for cleaning — and dryer sheets.
Students in Hoover Elementary School’s Caring Hearts Club recently stepped up to donate supplies to the sanctuary and AWL, which gave most of its donated supplies to HFA.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help replace HFA’s heavy duty cargo van, which is used to pick up large quantities of supplies and transport animals to Sugar Creek Animal Hospital.
The page can be accessed at https://www.gofundme.com/f/heavy-duty-cargo-van?qid=3138458cccfb3b31218694ec969f98c3
For more information about the agency, visit Home for Friendless Animals on Facebook or contact hfwaynetown@gmail.com or 765-866-1760.
