Mission:

The purposes of this organization are to:

Oppose inhumane treatment of animals.

Improve the quality of life for animals impounded by the government of Owen County, Kentucky.

Advance spay and neuter programs as a long-term solution to the problem of unwanted pets.

Educate residents on responsible and humane treatment of animals.

Facilitate, promote, and arrange for the adoption of impounded animals by responsible owners with suitable homes.

Furthermore, underlying these purposes is the ultimate goal of minimizing and eventually eliminating euthanasia of Owen County animals just because they are homeless.

     In 2000, a neglected, injured coon hound that I had been feeding and providing medical care for was picked up by the Owen County dog warden. When I discovered what had happened, I arranged for someone to retrieve the dog from the county and adopt him. When the adopter went to get him from the dilapidated barn that was used as a county shelter at that time, the dog had already been euthanized. The legal holding time for dogs found as strays is no less than 5 days, and the coonhound had only been held for 2 days. I was devastated and outraged, and decided to address the problem, so I called or visited anyone and everyone that I thought would listen and told them of our county?s inadequacies concerning the care and treatment of dogs in the county's custody. I recruited a group of other citizens, and we approached the fiscal court to express concern about the plight of homeless dogs in the county's custody. No issues were resolved at this meeting, so I formed a small group of concerned citizens, and we called ourselves Owen County Friends of Animals. Our mission was to ensure dogs in the custody of the county were treated humanely, policies and laws were being followed, and to help reduce the euthanasia rate, which was virtually 100%.  We have operated the shelter since it opened in 2008. OCFA operated solely on donations or out of pocket from the few members from its inception until October of 2021, when the county started allotting a $35,000 portion of the budget for us to utilize in return for overseeing the animal control officer and paying that salary. OCFA is responsible for all facets of operating the Owen County dog shelter (and has been since it was built in 2008), as well as the vetting of all animals, vehicle upkeep, insurance, the animal control officer?s salary, the transporter?s salary, and some basic maintenance of the facility. The majority of the county budget goes to the animal control officer and transporter, and we rely heavily on donations or pay out of our own pockets to meet all other needs. Our vet bills alone run around $50,000 a year. We also try to assist county residents (and occasionally others in emergencies) with vet bills and spaying and neutering pets when funding allows.