GALVESTON – Friends For Life Animal Shelter is known for truly being a friend for life in the community.

In December, the non-profit heard from a Galveston family that was looking for assistance building and paying for a fence. Their dog, Bella, has stranger danger and so going outside on leashed walks every time she needed to go potty, and seeing people on those walks, is super stressful for her.

Sam and Joanna Cline are a family of seven, with five little ones. For the majority of 2020, they were homeless, but have now qualified with VA benefits for Section 8 housing. They are so thankful for this blessing, but the house didn’t come with a fence. They were facing the heartbreaking decision of rehoming Bella if they couldn’t figure something out.

Friends For Life isn’t in the business of building fences, but they are in the business of keeping people and pets together, at all costs.

When they can’t find the resources to help keep a pet with their family, they go back to the drawing board and see what can be done.

Volunteer Lead, Savannah, had previously worked at a fencing company. Facilities Coordinator, Abel, is handy and can fix just about anything. And the Friends For Life army of #BlueShirt volunteers give of their time with a dedication that is unmatched. So, they started there.

After a few scheduling and permit snafus out of their control, the date was finally set for them to go out and start the project. Between tools lent by their team, volunteers fundraising for supplies, and some out-of-this-world coordination and research by Volunteer Lead, Savannah, the plan was laid out.

Over a full Friday and Saturday, the team sunk posts, leveled backer rails, and secured fence posts until it was all complete.

The work didn’t stop at a fence. They also worked with Bella on behavior so that she’ll feel more comfortable around strangers.

For more on Friends For Life Animal Shelter, please visit: https://friends4life.org/