A newer and larger vision is needed, a vision in which shelters hold themselves accountable for meeting demanding performance standards that preserve life — not destroy it.
— Edward Duvin, Father of the No Kill Movement
A true shelter should be a place where life is affirmed, both in teaching and in practice, not a building permeated with the odor of death. Talented and well-trained volunteers are the key to the four principal components of effective outreach.
• efficiently reaching target population segments • establishing credibility among that targeted audience • articulating a clear and compelling educational message • follow-up programs toward achieving an enduring attitudinal shift
Friends For Life is the fastest-growing No Kill Animal Shelter in Houston!
Our current shelter is located at 246 W. 19th Street in the Houston Heights neighborhood. Click here for contact information and hours. Scroll down this page to read construction updates and see pictures of our new shelter as it progresses!
Watch the short video below to learn more about us.
Friends For Life New Shelter Update!
(Construction updates and pictures below)
UPDATED INFORMATION 12/14/11:
In May 2012, we will bring Houston its only LEED certified state of the art No Kill facility, the Chris and Don Sanders Adoption Center.
Our principal architects are with the prestigious and progressive Gensler firm here in Houston. The architects on this project are not just brilliant architects but animal lovers with a real heart for this project. We have consulted with LEED experts and nationally renowned shelter design experts including the incredible team at Animal Arts in Boulder, Colorado, an architecture firm that exclusively designs animal care facilities. They are responsible for some of the most beautiful, forward-thinking and environmentally friendly shelters in the United States.
More than 75% of our animals are those who would be classified "unadoptable" at traditional shelters. At FFL, we live up to the shelter motto that Every Animal Matters. We believe each animal is precious and deserves to be treated as an individual whose needs and welfare are important.
Care has been taken with every detail of the building. We will bring in 100% outside fresh air and turn over the air in each space completely 15 times an hour. We have made certain that sunlight reaches every animal (and staff) workspace and even engaged a professional acoustician from the beginning to ensure that we manage the sound for everyone's comfort.
This shelter will feature a state of the art in wall wet vac cleaning system that makes the dirty and smelly drain/hose system used by every other shelter in town obsolete. Those systems simply aerosolize fecal matter, use a ton of water and the drains are not just dirty but a true health and safety standard. Like so much of the FFL program, we are leading the way for shelters to become what they should be by incorporating forward-thinking design and practice. This cleaninig system enables us to maintain a cleaner and safer shelter than the old drain/hose systems. The FFL system is also energy and water efficient and uses a cleaning solution that is 100% safe for the animals but deadly for bacteria and viruses.
Our goal has been to create a space that is truly animal-friendly from the animal's point of view. Their sense of smell and hearing are much more acute than ours. They are generally stressed just to be in a shelter environment to begin with. The fact that we know them at all means something has already gone wrong in their lives. It is our task, in part, to provide as stress-free, healthy and interesting an environment as possible. The center will be adopter/visitor friendly as well as follow the highest standards of shelter management.
The cat habitats will be large cageless playrooms with 19 foot ceilings that will house cats in sunlight and comfort. We have devoted a room to our senior kitties (as with people, it is the fastest growing population). There will also be a leukemia positive kitties room and a nursery.
We've created a living room-like space for our dogs which will have a homelike environment including couches, chairs, rugs and picture windows. Potential adopters will have the opportunity to meet our dogs in a setting like their own home and the dogs will be able to learn how to behave in a home environment. At the new shelter, we will have the ability to house some dogs overnight.
If you would like to be a part of this amazing new chapter of animal sheltering as a sponsor of some part of the facility, let us know. Sponsorships at all levels are currently available and we are honored to be able to name each portion of this visionary new shelter after its underwriter.
Write yourself into the history books by making a contribution to the Friends For Life facility.
We welcome Al & Linda Rogers, owners of Alexander Fine Portrait Designs as the newest additions to the FFL team. Al and his assistant, Gary Maltz, will be chronicling our growth every step of the way from the new shelter groundbreaking to grand opening. You may recognize their remarkable work with animals from their photographs displayed at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. Here are some of the first pictures of our new shelter in its beginning stages:
A shot of our new building from the parking lot. Get a good look because there will be quite a few changes over the coming months.
Interior shot of our new shelter. It's gutted and ready to be transformed into an incredible state of the art, LEED certified green No Kill shelter!
FFL Executive Director, Salise Shuttlesworth, and FFL Board President, Don Sanders, reviewing blueprints.
FFL Board President Don Sanders, Executive Director Salise Shuttlesworth, photographer Al Rogers and Linda Rogers check out blueprints of the new shelter.
Chris and Don Sanders (the new shelter will be named The Chris and Don Sanders Adoption Center), Linda and Al Rogers, Salise Shuttlesworth and Carolyn Gardiner. Everyone's excited and ready to make the new shelter a reality!
Some of the current architectural elements on the building will be retained. It's going to be amazing!
Thank you to everyone who donated to Greenbacks for Gonads! Your donations and the donor match covered spays and neuters for 32 kittens and cats!
Vote for Friends For Life DAILY through March 18th!
A true shelter should be a place where life is affirmed, both in teaching and in practice, not a building permeated with the odor of death. Talented and well-trained volunteers are the key to the four principal components of effective outreach.
