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BFFS is a SANCTUARY and NOT A SHELTER. But what is the difference?

An animal shelter is a place where rescued animals are kept temporarily and rehabilitated if needed. Domestic shelter animals are meant to be adopted while wildlife are released back into the wild.

An animal sanctuary is a place where animals are brought to retire in a protected environment. BFFS is primarily an animal sanctuary. All of our residents are here to retire.

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BFFS is home to senior and special needs SHELTER ANIMALS. They are the ones who already waited many years at the shelter without getting adopted, or those with special needs who would do better in a home setting. We adopt them to give them a chance to experience home for the remainder of their lives.

Therefore, we do not accept owned pets at our sanctuary. Your senior or special needs pet already has a home with you. They should be surrounded by family during their final years.

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BFFS is meant to be the forever home of senior and special needs shelter animals. It is a last stop of sorts where they can live the remainder of their lives with dignity and grace in a low-stress environment.

A new home requires adjustment, which may lead to anxiety. We intend to avoid this for our senior residents who may not have many years to live.

For our specially-abled residents, we may make exceptions. At BFFS, specially-abled animals refer to those with physical or behavioral concerns, or both. If the adopter has demonstrated the ability to care for special needs animals and is positioned and committed to provide medical and/or rehabilitation requirements in a loving home – more than what we at BFFS can offer, we would consider.

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Yes, but for practical reasons, we are imposing some requirements to make your visit worthwhile.

1. It needs to be scheduled ahead of time. Please contact us to make arrangements. Unscheduled visits may not be entertained, or we may not be able to give you a proper tour.

2. To make the visit worthwhile, we encourage you to donate to our sanctuary. You may bring donations in cash or in kind. In lieu of donations, you may also volunteer for the day.

3. Face masks and social distancing are still required, until such time that the Covid-19 pandemic is completely under control.

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Yes, but it needs to be scheduled ahead of time. Please contact us to make arrangements. Unscheduled visits may not be entertained especially if no one is available to assist you.

Here are some things you can do to help out:

1. Bathe or groom the dogs

2. Socialize or train them with treats (bring your own treats, if possible, because we don’t always have them)

3. Play with the cats, trim their nails, clean their ears, or give them a wipe down

4. Sweep the grounds and pick up dog poop (not much fun, but a necessary chore)

5. Wash doggie beds and crates

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You automatically become a regular volunteer after your 3rd visit and if you keep visiting at least 2x a month. This makes you eligible to receive a volunteer certificate, if requested, such as for school requirements.