Frankie’s FriendsLoading…
Need help with an animal
We wish we could help every animal. We are a foster-based rescue with no building, so we can only take in as many animals as we have foster homes — which usually means we cannot help immediately. Please read the options below; they will get an animal help faster than waiting for us.
Almost certainly not, and we would rather tell you straight away than leave you waiting on an email. Every animal we accept needs a foster home first, and our foster homes are usually full. We are not a shelter and we have no kennels.
The options below will get an animal help faster than we can. If you have worked through them and are still stuck, write to us anyway — tell us the species, age, and what is going on, and we will be honest about whether we can do anything.
Start here. A stray is far more likely to be a lost pet than an abandoned one, and the fastest path is usually back to their own family.
Any vet practice or animal control officer will scan a found animal for free, no appointment needed. Most lost pets are reunited this way within a day.
Your city's animal care centre is legally required to take stray animals found within its limits, and is the first place an owner will look for a lost pet.
Neighbourhood groups, Nextdoor, PawBoost and the local lost-and-found pet pages on Facebook. Post a clear photo, the cross-streets where you found them, and the date — but hold back one identifying detail so you can verify an owner.
If you are able to hold on to the animal while you search, that is the kindest option — but tell your local animal control that you have them, so an owner who calls can be pointed to you.
Injured animal, or an animal in danger? Call Norfolk Animal Care Center or an emergency vet now rather than emailing us — we check email as volunteers, between jobs, and cannot respond to an emergency.
This is a hard place to be, and asking for help is the responsible thing to do — not something to be ashamed of.
A surprising number of surrenders come down to a fixable problem: a deposit, a fence, a course of treatment, a behaviour issue, or a landlord conversation. Tell us what is actually going wrong — sometimes we can help you keep your pet, which is the best outcome for everyone.
You know your animal better than any stranger will. Adopt-a-Pet's Rehome tool and Home To Home let you list your pet, screen applicants and hand them over directly, without the animal ever going through a shelter. Always charge a fee, always meet in person, and never give an animal away free online.
For an older animal, or one with a medical or behavioural condition, your own vet knows the local options — including breed-specific rescues and hospice-foster networks that we cannot match.
Your municipal shelter is the safety net. Call ahead and ask about their owner-surrender process, waiting list and any fee.
Different situation entirely: your animal comes back to us, at any point, for any reason, for the rest of their life. That is in your adoption contract and we mean it. Please contact us before doing anything else — there is genuinely no judgement in it.
We turn animals away because we run out of foster homes, not because we run out of willingness. One more foster home is one more animal we can say yes to.