SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A second chance at life: that’s what a local real estate agent wants to give four-legged friends in need of a forever home. Terry Fraley wants to build an animal sanctuary that would house animals that can’t stay at typical shelters, or those nearing the ends of their lives.
Over the last 20 years, Fraley has personally rescued and cared for more than 16 animals. Now, he wants to take that a step further, by creating a permanent sanctuary for any animal that needs it.
Fraley showed 10 On Your Side around the 4-acre property, which he plans to purchase from one of his own clients.
“This would be a lobby, would be a place for the animals and the veterinarian to be,” Fraley said. “This would be a really big holding space for the animals. We’d build open cages for them.”
It’s for his passion project, the “Ruckus Animal Sanctuary.”
Fraley said, “Ruckus is the last rescue I had and he’s a year old now, but when I got him, I found him in a trash can at a RaceWay in Suffolk.”
Fraley has always had a soft spot for animals, especially older ones. “I just can’t believe that people, they discard them on the side of the road, they throw them away,” he said.
Portsmouth Humane Society Director of Operations James McLaughlin says it’s hard to place older pets, so a sanctuary may be an animal’s best case scenario.
“There’s not enough of those kind of resources to help animals, especially when we’re talking about senior animals,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a wonderful thing that somebody in the local area is going you know above and beyond and taking something like that on.”
Senior dogs are some of the hardest shelter animals to place. However, Fraley isn’t just focused on them.
“We have nothing that we won’t take in,” Fraley said. “Whether it’s a snake, a reptile, or a cow or a goat.”
He wants to open the doors as soon as possible, because for some animals, he may be their only hope.
“We’ve got animals waiting that need to come, we need to get it open,” said Fraley.
Fraley is still in the fundraising phase: he’s raised $6,000 of his $40,000 goal. He’s hoping to meet that goal by September. Plus, he’s still looking for volunteers.
If you’re interested in donating or volunteering, you can contact Fraley at myagentterry@gmail.com or message him on Facebook.
