Freedom Fences
Our Mission
Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina euthanize tens of thousands of dogs every year. Freedom Fences was co-founded in 2010 to try to reduce those numbers. We find ways to educate owners and help them provide better homes and living conditions for their pets. Today we are a 501C(3), tax free, not for profit charity run by volunteers who: Identify dogs living outside on short or encumbered chains, often with inadequate shelter and/or nutrition Offer kennels to owners at no cost, enabling the dog to benefit from freedom of movement within a generous safe space Pre-screen and then follow up to ensure the services we provide are being used according to our agreements with the pet’s owners Advocate for strong anti-tethering laws, enforcement of responsible pet ownership and accountability of local civic leaders responsible for animal welfare In 2014, we opened The Wag Shack. This small, no-kill shelter and our small network of foster families focus primarily on neglected dogs that have been surrendered or are at immediate risk of euthanasia in a local shelter. For these dogs, we: Ensure that fundamental veterinary care, including spay or neuter, is completed Rally benefactors and/or caregivers for our dogs with more serious health issues When possible, offer and certify local adoptions Focus on transporting the dogs in our care, as fast as possible, to no-kill partners in other states where spay and neutering laws have created more homes than dogs available Recognize that every dog that is transferred to a certified rescue partner facility enables us to rescue another in our local community In 2016 we added cat rescue to our mission. We have two buildings where we house our kitties – The Catty Shack and Meow Manor. We typically care for 25-30 indoor cats and 10 feral cats. The cats end up in our care for various reasons — primarily owner surrender, owner passed away, hoarding/neglect situations or strays. Once in our care we make sure they are spayed/neutered and receive the necessary vaccines and medical attention. Cats receive daily care and love in a cage-free environment. Our goal is to find a loving forever home for each of them. Ideally we like to find homes locally, but because of the pet overpopulation problem, that is not always possible. Thankfully we have partnerships with rescues up north where they can get adopted much more quickly—so we regularly transport cats there. We receive no compensation for transported cats. While we recognize that we, a small but mighty band of volunteers, are not likely to be able to change the world, we know that saving one animal will make the world a much better place for that dog.
Adoption Policy
We review the information received on our application forms, complete a vet/reference checks, and have a home visit/meet and greet before any adoption is complete. We require any other animals in the household to be spayed/neutered and receiving heartworm prevention. For many of our animals, we require a fenced in area. If the adoption does not work out for any reason, we require the animal be returned to our rescue.
