PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A new animal shelter is opening in Pinellas Park on July 9. It's called FLUFF Animal Rescue. 

What You Need To Know

  • FLUFF Animal Rescue has 23 employees, more than 200 volunteers, and 120 people who foster animals at their homes

  • According to the ASPCA, each year more than 900,000 dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States

  • The shelter opens on July 9

Founder and CEO Kimmy Chandler said they’ll be focusing on bringing in dogs and cats that would be euthanized at other shelters and then help to find them homes. 

With 23 employees, more than 200 volunteers, and 120 people who foster these animals at their homes, Chandler said they’re doing everything they can to protect animals in our region. 

“We rescue these animals from high-kill shelters,” she said. “That is our primary goal. Our primary concern is to get them out before they run out of time.”

In recent years, Chandler said pet owners have struggled with the cost of caring for their pets, making the need for shelters like hers even more important.

“This is as bad as I’ve seen it in the eight years that I’ve been actively working in animal rescue,” she said. 

It’s not the career Chandler pictured for herself. A teacher for years, she said everything changed after learning more about how some animal shelters operate. 

“There is a very high euthanasia rate in Florida, which is sad,” Chandler said. “On two-and-a-half acres of land, you can save a lot of wiggle butts.”

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), each year more than 900,000 dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States.