Furry Friends Refuge is a nonprofit humane organization serving the animals of West Des Moines, Urbandale, Clive, and Windsor Heights. Furry Friends is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible organization and has created the first no-kill community in the Des Moines metro area. We are pleased to announce the opening of our new adoption facility at 3505 Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. Our 1211 Grand location still houses the community spay clinic and will be undergoing a remodel as over 20,000 pets have gone through the buildings during our operations there.
Furry Friends seeks to assist all area animals in need through a variety of programs including adoptions, spay and neuter, community outreach, and humane education. Additionally, the organization has partnered with WestPet Animal Control and Polk County Animal Control to provide housing, reunification, and adoption programs for stray animals in West Des Moines, Clive, and Urbandale.
Furry Friends relies heavily on volunteers, and all donations go directly to the programs that serve the animals.
Our mission
We are compassionate people who care about animals and promote animal welfare through education and celebration of the human/animal bond. We work to combat animal mistreatment and insist on humane treatment for all animals.
Our programs
Adoptions: Place animals brought into organization in new homes, provide assistance to find the best animal for a family, provide follow-up behavior assistance. Provide excellent customer care to adopters, encouraging more families to choose adoption to acquire their new pet.
Animal control: Take in, house, and seek original owners for animals who were found by WestPet Animal Control officers and Polk County Animal Control officers. Place any unclaimed animals up for adoption.
Community outreach: Provide speakers to organizations, schools, and other community outlets about responsible animal care and other animal-related topics. Use our pet therapy program to visit hospitals, hospice homes, and nursing homes with animals at request. Reach out to schools and provide seminars and assemblies promoting compassion. Provide free advice for pet owners struggling with behavior problems.
Animal cruelty: Assist in educating community about animal cruelty and provide advice to citizens witnessing cruelty. Follow local animal cruelty cases and work with prosecutors to ensure tough penalties and psychological treatment. Provide expert advice to law enforcement and prosecutors regarding both civil and criminal components of animal cruelty cases. Work to rehabilitate victims of abuse and neglect and use cases to bring the issue of animal cruelty to the forefront of the community.
Volunteer and junior volunteer: Train volunteers in the community to assist in making all other programs successful. Focus on connecting people with what they like to do and provide a positive social outlet. Encourage children to become active and responsible citizens by providing age-appropriate activities and tasks.
Spay and neuter: Provide affordable spay and neuter services to the public otherwise unlikely or unable to utilize private vets to have their pet sterilized. Provide services for other animal lovers to spay and neuter unclaimed strays, barn cats, and alley cats. Ensure that the program is sustainable independent of grant funding to have a long-term impact on the community.