Homer Animal Friends

Vision Statement: We envision a community where all pets have a caring forever home.
Goals and Objectives:
* To prevent cruelty to animals through education and volunteer work.
* To address the issue of dog and cat overpopulation. To support, promote, encourage, and provide information and funds for dog and cat sterilization.
*To work with schools to teach pet ownership responsibility.
*To encourage owner/pet bonding through special events.

Homer Animal Friends is a grass roots organization started in 1986 with the goal of helping the animals in our local shelter. Over the years the HAF mission has expanded and continues to grow to meet the needs of our community’s pets and their guardians. Following is a list of our accomplishments, to date:
• HAF pays 50% of the cost of neutering the animals in the Homer Animal Shelter. In 2023 we helped spay/neuter 81 animals from our shelter at a cost to us of $12,545.00
• HAF is not the Homer Animal Shelter, but we do provide financial help to the shelter for those special items not in their budget. We were instrumental in getting the new shelter built in 2005.
• We offer a $100 coupon to any person in our community who needs help with the cost of spaying/neutering their cats and dogs. If the person is on Public Assistance, we ask that they pay what they can, and we cover the remainder of the cost.
To date, we have helped with the spay/neuter of over 11,000 dogs and cats at a cost to HAF of over $732,000. In 2023 we helped with spay/neutering 273 pets,which cost $82,643.
• HAF sponsored two low-cost spay/neuter clinics in 2023.
• Homer Dog Trainers joined HAF in 2004. HDT and HAF are dedicated to teaching dog owners how to train without using force.
We believe that trained dogs are less likely to be surrendered to shelters. HDT offers Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners, Agility, Rally, CGC, Tricks, and Nose Work classes.
HDT instructors are also available to do dog education in our schools and at special community events.
• In 2018, we opened the HAF Store in order to provide high quality pet supplies and to create a physical presence in our community.
• In 2020 we started a program, through our store, to help low-income pet owners by providing the Homer Food Pantry with dog and cat food.

Homer Animal Friends is dedicated to making life easier for our pets and for their guardians. The majority of our funding comes from our community of animal lovers through direct donations.
Find us at homeranimals.org or contact us at homeranimals@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading our story. We hope that you can find it in your heart to support our mission.