Friends of Rescue Animals

Friends of Rescue Animals (FRAs) is a 100% volunteer-powered nonprofit helping homeless pets find loving homes faster. Founded in 2004 by four volunteers supporting the Rowlett Animal Shelter, FRAs has grown to more than 450 volunteers supporting five municipal shelters in Rowlett, Garland, Richardson, Sachse, and Wylie along with our foster-based cat rescue program.

Our Mission: Helping homeless pets find loving homes faster by mobilizing volunteers, funding lifesaving programs, and advocating for improved outcomes for shelter animals.

Our Vision: A world where communities, volunteers, and shelters work together to ensure every adoptable pet has a safe, loving home.

We don't operate shelters. We make shelters better. Our volunteers work alongside shelter staff to walk and socialize dogs, care for cats, assist adopters, promote available pets, support adoption events, and foster cats and kittens. Since 2016, our cat rescue program alone has helped more than 3,800 cats find loving homes.

FRAs also funds and operates programs that remove barriers to lifesaving, including emergency medical care, heartworm treatment, dog transport, community cat Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), free microchip clinics, and adoption programs.

With no paid staff, everything we accomplish is made possible by volunteers, donors, grant partners, and community supporters. Together, we're giving shelters more resources, giving volunteers meaningful ways to make a difference, and giving more homeless pets the second chances they deserve.