Fences For Fido
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Mission Statement
Fences For Fido is an award-winning nonprofit organization with all-volunteer fence builders based in Portland, Oregon. We have a straightforward mission: to remove dogs from a dangerous and inhumane existence at the end of a chain. We achieve this by providing free fences, insulated shelters, spay/neuter surgeries, and needed veterinary care. Over time, our services have expanded to meet the special needs of the clients we serve. We now operate a weekly pet food bank that serves over 500 families of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. As the only animal welfare organization authorized by the tribal council to provide services on the reservation, we coordinate spay/neuter and vaccine services and pet rehoming in addition to our fence-building and dog house delivery services. Since we built our first fence in May of 2009, we have unchained over 3,600 dogs in Oregon and Washington while becoming a regional force for change and a national model for effective, boots-on-the-ground community service and animal welfare advocacy. In 2014, we were instrumental in passing Oregon’s first anti-tethering law, which restricts the amount of time a dog can be chained. We mentor other organizations across the country as they establish their own unchaining programs or pursue statewide or local ordinances to limit tethering and improve quality of life for dogs.
About This Cause
Fences for Fido is a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to improving the welfare and quality of life for dogs living outdoors. We build free fenced yards to relieve dogs of the danger and isolation of life on a chain or tether, provide insulated dog houses, and bridge the gaps that prevent families from accessing spay/neuter services, pet food, and life-saving veterinary care. We unchain 200+ dogs each year while providing hundreds of dog houses to improve the quality of life for dogs living outdoors. Pets are family. The bonds people form with them are a social determinant of health, offering prophylactic, therapeutic, and stabilizing benefits for all families, but perhaps most dramatically for the most vulnerable populations. As far back as the 1860s, the famed nurse Florence Nightingale recognized the therapeutic value of pets, “for the sick, for long chronic cases especially.” Today, the animal protection community and healthcare providers are increasingly aware of the stabilizing impact of the human-animal bond and the importance of supporting families to care for and keep their pets. A Mayo Clinic oncologist has said, “If pet ownership was a medication, it would be patented tomorrow.” Our volunteers encounter families in crisis, often from marginalized and underserved communities, and we build trust through compassionate consistency. We know that in times of crisis or financial insecurity, pets can provide the greatest sense of comfort, security, and normalcy. In cases where a crisis forces people to relinquish their pets, the lost bond increases the trauma of that already difficult life event. One woman told researchers she felt “like a failure,” and the judgment and disappointment she saw in friends’ reactions compounded her grief and guilt. By the time a Fences For Fido volunteer knocks on a family’s door, they’ve often been visited by law enforcement or animal control. Some tell us they’ve received angry and critical notes and comments from disapproving neighbors. Where these families have previously faced criticism and punishment, we arrive to offer nonjudgmental help The dogs we serve experience safety and freedom, sometimes for the first time in their lives, when we build a free fenced yard and remove the chain. Many of them also receive first-ever veterinary care to relieve the suffering of various minor and serious health conditions. The families we serve experience the non-judgmental and compassionate problem-solving approach of our volunteers. Chaining is almost always a last resort for families who lack the resources or ability to build a fence or repair a broken gate. Sometimes they chain their dogs out of fear for the dog's safety because of the threat of nearby traffic or angry neighbors. And the communities we serve are empowered to address a problem that nobody knew how to solve before Fences For Fido arrived. Chained dogs not only experience many threats to their physical and mental well-being, but they are more likely to be the source of neighborhood tensions, barking complaints, and bite incidents. We offer a solution, and sometimes can remedy a long-standing problem in just a few hours. And, finally, the families of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have a first-ever partnership with an organization that relieves long-standing scarcity on their reservation. We deliver veterinary care that isn't available anywhere in their community, while providing food, shelter, fences, and rescue placements.