Helping pets find forever homes

Editor's Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on nonprofit organizations that improve North Okaloosa residents' quality of life.

CRESTVIEW — My Safe Place Pet Rescue is a non-profit organization that works to find forever homes for dogs and cats in the Okaloosa area.

Founder Cindy Hunter said she started the rescue about five years ago and it’s been a registered non-profit for the past three. The mission of My Safe Place is to adopt out pets that have been rescued from local shelters or off the streets.

Oftentimes, she finds pets through the Laurel Hill Panhandle Animal Wildlife Society. Hunter says many people are not aware of this PAWS branch and thus, it often gets overlooked.

The group relies on the volunteer work of fosters, who offer their homes to the cat or dog until it can find a permanent family. Hunter said My Safe Place has about 40 dogs and cats in foster homes at all times and finds homes for about 100 animals each year.

The rescue accepts the animals regardless of age, breed or disability. Currently, the group has senior dogs, a deaf canine and a dog that has lost one of its legs.

My Safe Place has about 16 active foster parents and most temporarily house more than one pet at a time, according to Hunter. Volunteers organize mostly through Facebook pages and participate in adoption events and on the Pet Finder website. My Safe Place also uses the web to help coordinate pet transports.

Volunteers organize mostly through Facebook pages and participate in adoption events and on the Petfinder website. My Safe Place also uses the web to help coordinate pet transports. A transport is a community-based effort of volunteers from across a wide network (such as the entire U.S.) giving a pet a ride from one area to the next until it reaches its forever home.

Hunter says fosters are always in demand, as they often have to turn away pets due to lack of space. Those who are unable to foster can contribute by either transporting or making tax-deductible donations of goods or services.

Currently, My Safe Place is in the process of opening a cat care and adoption center, anticipated by the beginning of February. The center will be a converted mobile home featuring a cat nursery for pregnant cats and newborn kittens, as well as a quarantine area for new cats, said Hunter.

The center, which is adjacent to Hunter’s residence, will be capable of temporarily housing 15-20 cats in addition to the 10 she is able to foster.

Hunter said the center’s focus will be cats because they are able to thrive without the constant presence of people. This is compared to dogs, which need more regular human accompaniment.

Hunter became involved with pet adoptions about eight years ago after moving to the area from Ohio. She began volunteering at a now closed rescue, where she learned the process and what to expect. After moving on to another rescue, she decided, with the help of a few other volunteers, it was time to start her own organization.

For those looking to adopt, Hunter says visits are set up by appointment only and contact information can be found on their website.