How it all started

BY DAVID KERPEL

Why would a perfectly successful attorney want to open up a dog sanctuary? For anyone who has ever owned a dog, the answer is a simple one: dogs are one of the world’s kindest, most compassionate, and loyal animals on Planet Earth.

My connection to dogs started when I was a youth. Always wanting to own a dog but never able to due to my family’s allergies, I was content to approach all dogs and ask their owners if I could pet theirs. And I did! Every dog I came across, I wanted to pet; and so, my passion for dogs was born.

Growing up, I often traveled with my family to thirdworld countries. During these visits, I would observe dogs on the streets- many of them foraging for food in discarded garbage, doing everything they can just to survive. I often raised money or volunteered for dog shelters; but this philanthropy was never enough to satisfy my desire to help all dogs in need.

Why should any dog in a shelter spend the rest of their lives in a 4x6 cage because no one wants to adopt them; or worse, be euthanized simply because there is no room in a shelter? The answer is they shouldn’t; and I wanted to do something about it. I decided many years ago that when I retired, I would open up a dog sanctuary. Why a sanctuary, versus a dog shelter that fosters and adopts out their dogs? Because a sanctuary allows me to rescue dogs who others might not deem “adoptable” based on how they look, how old they are, or what kind of medical ailments they suffer from. It is these dogs who spend their entire lives in a confined space. I thought, “there has to be a better alternative!”

Well, in November, 2021, I visited my first animal sanctuary in Texas. At this sanctuary, I saw first-hand how dogs could spend their days running around in large, open enclosures, playing and socializing with other dogs, and enjoying the day laying out under the sun. That is when I decided I couldn’t wait until I retired to make my vision become a reality. Two months later, in January, 2022, after returning from a vacation where my daughter and I resorted to buying dog food just to feed starving dogs trying to survive on the street, I decided I could wait no longer.

In early January, 2022, my search for land for the Sanctuary began. I then started recruiting a team of acquaintances who I knew had a passion and a purpose for rescuing dogs. They shared my vision, and I was lucky to know them. Once we created a Board and incorporated the Furever Home Dog Sanctuary, we then went about making our mission a reality.

And here is where you come in. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and are currently 100% volunteer operated. That means that we depend on others like you—others who share our vision—to donate funds where every penny will allow us to pay for everything from dog structures, supplies, medications, food, toys and all the little extras that go into making this their furever home. Please find it in your heart to help us out, and you can feel good about providing a better life for dogs all over the country, and to help them feel Forever Safe. Forever Loved. Forever Home.

David Kerpel practices law at david@kerpellaw.com. More information about the dog sanctuary is at https:// fureverhomedogsanctuary.org.

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