I spent the last week down in the Florida Panhandle, visiting and volunteering at Alaqua Animal Refuge. They boast being the largest no-kill shelter in that area. Laurie Hood is their founder, and does a great job of making her life’s work seem easy. I can tell you for certain, however, that it is anything but easy.

In 2007, she heard about a momma dog and her newly born puppies who were all going to be euthanized due to a lack of funding/space at one of the local shelters. She went to this facility, and asked what it would would cost to adopt them all. The person working that day told her there was a $900 adoption fee for that number of pups. Laurie figured out that if she was representing a non-profit, those fees would be waived. She went home, got online, applied for 501c3 status, and returned to that shelter the next day with her “pending approval” paperwork in hand. She left with 34 dogs. That was the beginning of Alaqua.

From those humble beginnings, Alaqua quickly out-grew its space. They have plans in the works for moving from their current 10-acre parcel to a new facility on 100 acres. When she isn’t busy rescuing animals, Laurie is buried in paperwork. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing legislation in support of the animals living in the Emerald Coast. Indeed, working alongside the local Sherrif’s department insures that she has a pulse on the current state of affairs; including animal abuse, neglect, hoarding, and abandonment cases. Last year, Laurie, along with several other staff members at Alaqua, were featured on Nat Geo WILD TV’s Animal PD series, which highlighted some of the dangerous situations she finds herself in when she hears about an animal in need of rescue.

Alaqua is a non-profit, and runs completely on donations. Specifically, they have an operating budget of $100,000 a month. When we look at that bottom line, it is clear to see how important it is to have a strong network of community support in place. Whether we are talking about Alaqua or the Blue Barn Farm Sanctuary, we must do whatever we can to go the extra mile, and give a voice to those who would otherwise get lost in the shuffle. Find a no-kill shelter in your neck of the woods, and send them some love. I can almost guarantee you that they will appreciate your generosity. The only way we can do this work, is together.