Odie’s Place Animal Shelter has been created to honor Otis, a truly great shelter dog that passed away in January. We are building an amazing sanctuary for homeless animals and give them the second chance that they deserve.
Have you ever thought about where stray dogs and cats go when they are caught? Have you ever considered the fates of runaways, or abandoned pets, if they are lucky enough for someone with a good heart to find them? The South Coast has thousands of stray dogs and cats roaming the streets, and many of them eventually find their way to shelters.
My dog Otis was one such animal. We found him at a shelter, and took him home. And in our home he was a friend, a confidante, and a part of the family. He passed away in January, and while he is gone his memory is not. The fact that Otis was able to be a part of our lives came down to luck as much as anything else. Nearly all of the shelters in our area have a kill policy; animals who are perfectly adoptable may end up being euthanized because they are old, or not socialized well, or have simply spent too long in an overcrowded shelter.
But we want to ensure that Otis’s name, and the joy he brought to us, lives on. So we are establishing Odie’s Place, a no-kill shelter right here in New Bedford. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that every animal that comes in through our front doors leaves, one day, with its forever family.
Southcoast Massachusetts has thousands of animals enter shelters every month, and the majority of those shelters have kill policies. The simple tragic fact is that shelters are overcrowded, and perfectly healthy and well-behaved animals are being killed simply to make room for the incoming onslaught.
Otis made life so much better for us, and we’re on a mission to give that same opportunity to others! Our sanctuary will have a no-kill policy, and we will provide temporary shelter until each stray or abandoned animal is adopted into its forever-family. No one will be killed off to make room!
