The Haven

Our Mission The Haven is dedicated to providing shelter and finding loving homes for abused, neglected, and homeless animals. We treat each animal with compassion, respect, and the necessary medical care. Through educational initiatives and volunteer programs, we aim to raise community awareness about pet overpopulation and responsible pet ownership. As a non-profit sanctuary, The Haven ensures that every animal in our care receives support until they find a loving home. What We Do The Haven was founded by Dr. Teresa Marshall, a local veterinarian, who initially operated the organization from her clinic for eleven years. In 2001, The Haven became a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. That same year, the City of Fairhope provided us with part of the city animal shelter in exchange for our veterinary care and staffing services. This partnership significantly enhanced our capacity to find homes for animals. Many of the animals at The Haven have suffered from neglect, starvation, injuries, and abuse, requiring extensive and often costly veterinary care. All animals are spayed or neutered and receive comprehensive veterinary services, including deworming, vaccinations, heartworm testing, microchipping, and feline AIDS and leukemia testing. Additionally, each animal is provided with 30 days of free pet health insurance. We carefully screen potential adopters, with current adoption fees set at $55 for cats and $80 for dogs. As a no-kill shelter, we do not euthanize adoptable animals simply because they have not yet found homes; we continue to seek suitable placements. We also encourage adopters to contact us if they are unable to keep a Haven graduate, as we are committed to finding them the right home. Our motto is "once a Haven animal, always a Haven animal." We host frequent off-site adoption events and engage in active marketing efforts to promote our animals. Another vital aspect of The Haven's mission is educating the community about the significance of spaying and neutering pets. We distribute a quarterly newsletter that includes updates from families who have adopted animals from The Haven, along with various pet-related articles. Our educational programs also raise awareness about humane animal care, such as the dangers of leaving pets in hot cars, and we are increasingly involved in schools to discuss these important issues with children. The Haven relies heavily on the dedication of our volunteers, who contribute in numerous ways, including office support, dog walking, assistance at adoption and fundraising events, and cleaning cages. We organize various fundraising activities throughout the year to support our operations, including a pet photo contest, a pet essay contest, a benefit luncheon with Fannie Flagg, and a pet Mardi Gras parade. We also operate a resale shop where donated items are sold to benefit The Haven, providing another avenue for volunteer involvement for those who prefer not to work directly at the shelter. Although The Haven is a relatively new organization, we have made significant progress in a short time. We are proud of our achievements but recognize that there is still much work to be done. Our goal is to foster a community where loving, adoptable animals are not euthanized and to shift the perception that animals are disposable. We appreciate your interest in our work. If you have any questions, please contact us at (251) 929-3980 or at [email protected]. Correspondence can be sent to P.O. Box 1063, Fairhope, AL 36533, or you may visit us at the shelter located at 559 South Section Street in Fairhope, Alabama. Donations are always welcome and are tax-deductible as allowed by law, as The Haven is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.