LOVING CARE. A PLACE TO BELONG. A HOME FOR LIFE®.

THE THIRD DOOR® IS A CARE-FOR-LIFE SANCTUARY

In the world of animal welfare as it has always existed, there are two doors through which any shelter or rescue animal will eventually pass:

Door Number One is adoption.

Door Number Two is euthanasia.

Now, thanks to Home for Life's® visionary efforts, another option exists: The Third Door®. The care-for-life sanctuary.

As one of the country's only care for life sanctuaries, Home for Life® is often called upon to help desperate animals whose needs are beyond the scope or capacity of other shelters or rescues focused on adoption. Often other organizations will turn away animals with extraordinary medical needs, or animals who have challenging behavior issues, disabilities or who are old. The shelters or rescues apply a triage philosophy to helping the most animals with limited resources. Occasionally a shelter will take in an animal with special needs, and then later recognize that the dog or cat will require on going, complex care that an adoption focused organization cannot provide. In such situations, Home for Life offers another chance - the "door number three" - for animals who are passed by for adoption but who can still live a quality life.

Home for Life® offers an option beyond adoption and euthanasia for animals with special needs. This "Third Door®" option is the long-term animal sanctuary, where animals receive both the medial attention and stable, loving, safe environment they need. Home for Life has always believed that helping animals in need and saving lives requires a multifaceted approach. A focus on moving numbers of animals thru adoption or preventing births through spay and neuter addresses one aspect of the need. An exclusive focus on the numbers, however, will exempt many deserving animals from help.

Sanctuaries like Home for Life® have a vital role to play if as many animals as possible are to be saved because a true sanctuary is created to focus on the individual animal and their unique needs. The current focus in animal welfare is on moving animals through the system to adoption and posting high spay/neuter and adoption numbers. Dogs and cats who fall outside the parameters of the 'adoptable' animal and who require a rescue to divert disproportionate resources to help them will not be served by the conventional current models offered by animal welfare and are often overlooked or disregarded. Sanctuaries like Home for Life®, the Third Door®, whose focus is on the individual animal, provide a depth of care and a lifesaving, life affirming alternative for these special cats and dogs.