Dawn Richardson
One of the Lone Star State’s largest animal rescue sanctuaries is seeking to end animal neglect by touting the benefits of adoption in the face of animal overpopulation.
To the staff and volunteers at Saving Hope Animal Rescue, the mission is more than motto to combat a serious problem faced by Fort Worth and surrounding cities.
To that end, Saving Hope broke ground on a 14.8-acre, $2 million facility in Aledo last month.
The new state-of-the-art facility, at 14184 Aledo Iona Road, will have cage-free themed adoption rooms, climate-controlled bunk houses for mom and family litters, dog runs, and a Rainbow Bridge reflection pond. Other amenities include turfed and fenced-in yards, a senior sanctuary chapel and building, a quarantine barn, and a main house.
The campus will also provide the types of services that’ll make it a one-stop shop for families wanting to foster or adopt, such as: intake housing, medical quarantine, a separate senior sanctuary, puppy pods for nursing, and an adoption center. A feline sanctuary is also planned as part of the new development.
Since the nonprofit’s inception in 2017, Saving Hope has rescued and facilitated the adoption of over 5,000 dogs and cats.
“It is said that animals are a reflection of our society,” says Lauren Anton, executive director of Saving Hope. “We want Fort Worth to be better in terms of this and offer a safe haven for animals who wouldn’t normally be given that opportunity.”
Spencer Hodge
SHAS-Master Site Plan Final
So far, several bunkhouses have been moved into place on the property, along with the start of an on-campus animal clinic, but the rest is still in the planning stages at this point, according to Anton.
Saving Hope currently has more than 40 dogs on the newly opened property, utilizing select facilities already moved into place. Plus, Anton adds that she and her staff are overseeing more than 800 animals in foster care.
“This only highlights the dire need for places like this,” she says. “We render aid to animals who would normally be abandoned or euthanized.”
According to Anton, one out of every three animals in a shelter system is left behind without a home. This is where Saving Hope steps in to help, even going so far as to supply educational materials to anyone willing to learn.
“The main problem is overpopulation. Spaying and neutering these animals not only helps extend their lifespan but also addresses behavioral problems,” Anton says. “Providing spay and neuter surgeries as well as treatment for viruses such as distemper and parvovirus will elongate animal lives and reduce the spread of rampant diseases.”
With no clear solution in sight to create an end to animal abuse and neglect, Saving Hope’s newly opened campus is one that offers resources to many a helpless animal.
