The five-acre plot of land off Buena Vista Road in Hollister appears an unlikely place for second chances. However, for the four-legged residents of Pet Friends, it’s just that.
Nestled alongside the San Benito River, just outside the city of Hollister, lies Pet Friends, a nonprofit, no-kill organization that aims to rescue adoptable companion animals from Hollister Animal Control and provide care and housing until adopted into forever homes. The rescue—powered by the hard work of volunteers and the donations from the community—provides a second chance for many shelter pets and has succeeded in providing a low cost spay/neuter clinic for the community.
At first glance, it is evident that Pet Friends isn’t a typical rescue. Its feline residents do not spend time behind bars; rather, they bask in warm sunshine in volunteer-built “catios.” Dogs, of course, enjoy the same luxury.
As two young Pet Friends volunteers played with a group of lively kittens, longtime volunteer Rick Lopez explained how the nonprofit functions, attributing its success to diligent volunteers and the generosity of its founders, who are to thank for the facility that has now saved thousands of lives.
“The volunteers have added so much to Pet Friends, they could probably never be paid their worth,” Lopez said. He added that volunteers have never shied away from any task, ranging from “helping in the garden, to caring for kittens too young to survive without their mothers and often requiring around the clock attention.”
Pet Friends has grown significantly from its beginning in 1991 as a small group of volunteers with a simple mission to save homeless animals. While the mission has persisted with the same goal, the outreach of the organization has developed. Instead of simply pursuing continual growth of the five-acre facility, members of the organization decided to fight the issue of overpopulation at the source, and introduced a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in June 2010. The clinic has since spayed and neutered thousands of pets, providing services to nearly 1,500 animals within its first two years of operation.
For residents seeking to adopt a new furry family member, Pet Friends is full of felines and pups. The animals at Pet Friends like Mia, a beautiful teenage Siamese cat who came to the rescue as a frightened kitten found behind a grocery store, was spayed and received all vaccinations. Mia, like all of the rescues at Pet Friends, awaits the arrival of her forever companions, eager to share an abundance of purrs and unconditional love.
When considering adding a four-legged companion to your family and making a lifetime commitment to a furry friend, adopting from an organization such as Pet Friends provides an abundance of benefits.
“Adopting an animal from a rescue helps not only that animal, but it makes room for another animal to be rescued,” Lopez said.
He added that the adoption of rescued animals brings a profound satisfaction to himself and other Pet Friends volunteers.
“It feels good to help a cat or dog have a forever home,” he said. “We love to see our cats and dogs go home with their adopters.”
While the wish of Pet Friends is to have every animal at their facility find a forever home quickly, sometimes it takes a little more time. Many animals at Pet Friends have been taken in as ferals and have slowly progressed to trusting humans, often appearing timid to prospective adopters, which in turn makes finding a permanent home a bit more challenging. This, however, doesn’t mean they are out of luck: one of the most unusual aspects of Pet Friends is that animals are allowed to spend as much time as needed at the facility, some even living their entire life in the comfort and care of the nurturing volunteers.
Since its beginnings, Pet Friends has helped save thousands of lives and paired countless individuals with four-legged best friends. If you or someone you know is interested in making a difference in the life of a pet, consider Pet Friends and take home a lovable rescue or simply volunteer.
Pet Friends is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 3 p.m. Sundays. Adoption costs range from $20 to $100, depending upon animal age and type.
Pet Friends is always seeking volunteers and will kindly accept donations. A list of items needed can be found on the Pet Friends wish list, viewable by visiting smile.amazon.com, and entering “Pet Friends” into the search bar. Volunteers are welcome to assist in a variety of ways, and are encouraged to stop by and spend some time walking a resident pooch or relaxing with one of the many lap cats.
