Sacred Hearts Unchained
At some point, both people in addiction and animals in shelters were made to feel unwanted, overlooked, or too hard to care for. At Sacred Hearts Unchained, they are offered something different. Inside halfway houses, animals who were facing euthanasia, long shelter stays, or unsafe beginnings live alongside people entering recovery for the first time. For someone walking into a recovery home, it can be intimidating — new rules, new accountability, and emotions once suppressed by drugs are suddenly present. In that space, animals become a bridge. They interrupt isolation, invite connection, and give residents something real to care for. Through daily routines, responsibility, bonding, and love, both people and animals begin to heal while still working on their individual needs. Sacred Hearts becomes a stepping stone for both — a place where healing happens before people go on to reclaim their lives, their homes, and their families, and animals move on to permanent homes of their own. They recover together — people reclaiming their lives, and animals finding homes of their own — guiding each other through the journey and into what comes next. Because sometimes saving them saves us too.
Our Mission
Our mission is to secure enough land to build a foster kennel run by people in recovery—a space where healing, purpose, and responsibility come together. This kennel will not only expand the number of dogs we can save, but will also give recovering addicts meaningful daily structure, emotional connection, and hands-on work that builds confidence and stability.
We also plan to serve the community in a way that currently doesn’t exist: partnering with treatment centers so people entering rehab never have to surrender or abandon a beloved pet. By fostering their animals during treatment, we remove one of the biggest barriers that keeps people from saying yes to help.
As we grow, our kennel will create employment opportunities for people in recovery and provide safe support for individuals seeking treatment for the first time. We are a fully formed nonprofit currently pursuing 501(c)(3) status, laying the groundwork for a program that supports both vulnerable animals and the people committed to changing their lives.
Want to help?
Donations
Your support allows this work to continue.
Contributions help sustain foster placements, provide essential supplies, and support the shelters and rescues carrying the heaviest intake burdens. By giving, you are directly strengthening lifesaving efforts while allowing this model to grow responsibly.
We accept monetary donations as well as in-kind contributions, including dog food, cat food, litter, puppy pads, towels, blankets, beds, crates, and cages. These items are distributed to support our foster placements and partner organizations actively managing urgent cases.
To make a donation, please use the links above.
An Amazon Wishlist will be available soon.
Support at every level helps ensure this work continues — thoughtfully, effectively, and with long-term impact.
Animal Intake
Important Note About Animal Intake
At this time, Sacred Hearts Unchained is not accepting outside animals. We do not currently have the space, funding, or resources to take in additional animals independently.
Our role right now is to work side by side with established shelters and rescues who are overwhelmed. We foster animals within recovery homes until they are adopted, while shelters and rescues continue to take on urgent intakes and outside cases. This allows us to support lifesaving efforts without overextending beyond what we can responsibly manage at this stage.
As we grow and secure the funding and resources needed to expand, we hope to increase our capacity in the future. We appreciate your understanding as we build this mission the right way.
Our Success Stories
These photos celebrate some of the dogs whose lives have been changed through Sacred Hearts Unchained. Each one was fostered, supported, or adopted after receiving care, structure, and love from people in recovery. Their time here helped them build confidence, show their true personalities, and take the next step toward a safe, happy future.
Are you interested in fostering?
Interested in trying a short-term “slumber party” with a dog we’ve personally met and loved on through one of our shelter partners? Looking to foster a dog already in the recovery home environment, or searching for a specific pet that fits your life? We’ll guide you through the process and help match you with the right fit.
Fostering is flexible and non-committal — even one night can make a difference. All costs are covered; all that’s needed is an open home, an open heart, and a little extra space to share.