Charities Review Council Meets Standards seal

Home for Life® has been approved by the Minnesota Charities Review Council since January 2005

orange tabby cat

Jack Frost, a former stray turned therapy cat, retired to Home for Life® when he developed diabetes. Caring for retired service animals is an important part of our mission.

Peace of Mind in Retirement

Service animals—those who are most adept at meeting the needs of vulnerable people—become vulnerable themselves when they get old and develop their own health problems or disabilities.

People who depend on service animals often cannot keep both a retired animal and a new service animal at the same time. By the time they retire, service dogs can be 7–10 years old and may have developed strong bonds with their former partner. Few families looking for a pet have the time and energy to invest in forging a new bond with an old animal who is set in its ways. If the animal has health problems to boot, chances that it will find a happy retirement home are slim.

Not only can Home for Life® provide a loving home for these animals in their golden years, we can also give them a job to do: more than anything, service animals want to continue giving. Home for Life's Community Outreach Programs, the Pet Peace Corps, are the perfect outlet for them.

retired K9

Amigo, a retired K9, now visits veterans at the VA hospital's Polytrauma unit through our Sit*Stay*Heal program.

Home For Life logo; a dog and cat walking towards a house with open doorOur Vision

Home For Life® is an expression of a new kind of animal shelter—the long-term animal sanctuary. We provide animals with loving care, a nurturing environment that is safe and stable, a place to belong… a home for life.

We provide lifetime care for cats and dogs with special needs who cannot find a home, but who can still lead a quality life.

The Third Door™

Most shelters offer two options for animals: adoption or euthanasia. A typical family home is not appropriate for every animal. Those who are old, or who have disabilities, health or temperament problems may do better in another setting. Home For Life® believes that these special animals deserve an alternative that will meet their needs. Hence, we created "The Third Door" animal rescue and welfare program where special animals have an option previously unavailable. The Home for Life® animals enjoy a quality life, where they can be themselves, run and play, and be loved and cherished for as long as they live. The Third Door™ program provides an animal rescue option for such special animals.

Ashley and Katie sitting in the grass
Ashley with HFL animal care specialist Jessie Magnine. Ashley is one of HFL's paraplegic dogs. Each paraplegic dog has a custom-made cart that allows him or her to run and play. See Ashley and Katie on our 2005 holiday card.

Long-Term Vision

Home for Life® has created a prototype sanctuary facility in Star Prairie, Wisconsin, that will serve as a model for the establishment of future Home for Life® Sanctuaries around the country.

We believe that animals should live in a setting that is appropriately scaled to allow for individual attention and specialized care. This is why Home For Life® is able to give its residents a quality life and not just a warehoused existence.

The Example of Empathy

At Home for Life®, our animals are not offered for adoption. Once an animal comes to us, it truly has a home for life. Through our example, we hope to discourage an acceptance of euthanasia for animals who can still live a quality life. Just as apathy can become a way of life, so can empathy.

The example of empathy is furthered by our community outreach programs, such as Pet Peace Corps. Sanctuary residents that have been rehabilitated after past rejection and neglect are then able to give back. Through Pet Peace Corps, these animals work with volunteers and staff to help people who themselves may have been overlooked: children affected by domestic violence, at-risk teens, and the elderly.

These community outreach programs complete a circle of empathy for our animals—they become willing ambassadors of compassion, taking the empathy shown to them and passing it to other vulnerable members of society.

At Home For Life®, we believe that, through empathy, our lives become richer, and our appreciation for the value of other living things grows.