Since starting in April, the new non-profit organization Freedom for Fido (FFF) has built four fences for local residents, which freed 10 dogs from a life confined.
The group held a food and wine pairing fundraiser Tuesday December 10. Nearly 90 people packed into Blue Jeans Pizza in Blue Ridge to participate in the silent auction, raffles and dinner, all in an effort to raise money to build more fences for families and dogs in need.
Founder Jackie Gilbert said, “The reason I started FFF is that it just broke my heart seeing dogs chained out and obviously living a very limited life. To me, a dog should be like a member of the family.” She was inspired to take action after seeing an online show that showcased a similar organization called Fences for Fido out of Oregon. “It was something that I thought I could do,” she said.
Supporter Anne Heikkila said, “It’s great somebody stepped up and took action.” Another supporter, Marsha Gano, added that “some people may not want their dogs on a chain but can’t afford a fence” so having a resource like FFF will make a big difference in the community.
The first fence build FFF ever did was for Michelle Degner and her six dogs. While her dogs weren’t chained up in the yard, she was unable to adequately walk them all on leashes due to medical issues. She said she had done special needs dog rescues for 30 years and found herself on the verge of homelessness a couple of years ago. With the help of some friends, she was able to keep a roof over her head. Then, she said she had to have a surgery on her leg that prevented her from wearing a prosthetic leg for about five months. “It was a challenge to take the dogs out,” she said. “I had very mixed emotions about agreeing to accept the help [fence]. I was always the one giving the help.”
Degner describes having a fence as life-changing. “I have a Great Pyrenees who was shot twice in the head and left for dead. I had never seen her play. She is playing now. I’m truly blessed by this community. Please don’t judge those of us who need a fence.”
Jackie Gilbert read a text from another family who received a fence for their dog Minnie who was on a chain 24/7. “I didn’t know Minnie was so sweet. Chained life versus free makes such a difference,” she said.
Jackie’s husband, advisor and crew leader of FFF, Fritz Gilbert, said the average cost of a fence is $911. That’s for a six foot fence with multiple gates and one side of the fence being the house.
Jackie added that they currently have six families in line to have a fence built. The organization operates on volunteers and donations, they said. Volunteers help dig fence post holes, set posts in place, run the fencing, hang gates and more. Some volunteers build dog houses, too.
Fritz said they currently have 32 volunteers on the email list. He added the number of volunteer hours spent on the four fences they’ve built so far is 202 hours, not counting the time it takes to build a dog house.
As far as donations go, item donations are great as well as monetary donations. An example of an item donation would be if someone installed a fence at their home and had left over materials. Those materials could be given to FFF to use in a future fence build.
The Humane Society of Blue Ridge supports the efforts of FFF. President Rick Glueckert said, “We as an organization support your efforts. We support you here tonight and we’re here to do whatever we can to better your effort because we’re all pulling in the same direction.”
Dog advocate and FFF volunteer Dana Worm said, “I’m excited to see it blossom.”
Anyone who’d like to learn more, volunteer or donate may call 440-679-1627 or visit www.FreedomForFido.com.