Latest News
Jurassic Bark was an epic success!
After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we were finally able to gather once again and host our gala, Wags & Whiskers: Jurassic Bark.
After a fabulous evening of T-Rex costumes,... Read more
Friends of Strays welcomes Nikola Couling as MEOW Now Program Manager
As part of joining forces with MEOW Now, we'd like to welcome Nikola to the Friends of Strays staff! She will be managing MEOW Now as a program of Friends of Strays.Nikola comes from a background... Read more
Adopt A Shelter Dog Month: Adoption Special for October 2022!
October is Adopt A Shelter Dog Month. We work with several county and municipal shelters around Florida to help them when they are at capacity, and some of our partners are full of dogs... Read more
Let's go for a walk! Here are four benefits of taking a stroll with your pup
This week is National Walk Your Dog Week! We are feeling the first wave of Florida fall weather, so it’s a great time to get into a daily habit with your pup.
Most dog owners can relate:... Read more
Adoption Center reopens Friday, Sept. 30, 2022
After hunkering down for Hurricane Ian, our adoptable kittens, cats, puppies and dogs are ready to get out of this shelter and go home!Adoptions: Our shelter and Adoption Center will reopen Friday,... Read more
Hurricane Ian Shelter Update
As we prepare for Hurricane Ian’s arrival, the shelter will close to the public at 4 p.m. today, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. If you finish your own preparations and you have spare sand bags... Read more
Pinellas Cats Alive! closed for intake
Due to inclement weather, our Return to Field program, Pinellas Cats Alive, will be closed for intake beginning Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, until further notice. Please do not trap any cats for intake... Read more
Friends of Strays, MEOW NOW join forces for community cats
Two community nonprofits, Friends of Strays Animal Shelter and MEOW Now, are coming together to solve a community issue: reducing the reproduction of free-roaming cats.A female cat can get pregnant... Read more
UPDATE: 2022 Labor Day Closures
Friends of Strays will be closed Monday, Sept. 5, for Labor Day.
Pinellas Cats Alive! will also be closed for intake these days. Please do not trap any cats... Read more
Cat Adoption Special for Clear the Shelters 2022!
August 1-31 is Clear the Shelters month, a national movement designed to bring attention to the thousands of homeless animals across the country waiting in shelters to be adopted. The Clear... Read more
Staff Spotlight: Jax, ACE Specialist
Our Clear the Shelters activity this week is to introduce you to some of our amazing team members (and their favorite adoptables!).
Meet Jax! Read more
Staff Spotlight: Megan, Veterinary Technician
Our Clear the Shelters activity this week is to introduce you to some of our amazing team members (and their favorite adoptables!).
Meet Megan! Read more
Staff Spotlight: Kelly, Foster Manager
Our Clear the Shelters activity this week is to introduce you to some of our amazing team members (and their favorite adoptables!). Meet Kelly! Read more
Staff Spotlight: Joel, Veterinary Technician
Our Clear the Shelters activity this week is to introduce you to some of our amazing team members (and their favorite adoptables!). Meet Joel! Read more
Staff Spotlight: Lauren, ACE Specialist
Our #ClearTheShelters activity this week is to introduce you to some of our amazing team members. We couldn't do what we do without them. Lauren is one of our awesome Animal Care &... Read more
Clear the Shelters is August 1-31, 2022!
August 1-31 is Clear the Shelters month, a national movement designed to bring attention to the thousands of homeless animals across the country waiting in shelters to be adopted. The Clear... Read more
Friends of Strays nominated in Best of the Bay 2022!
We have super exciting news to share!
Friends of Strays has been nominated for "Best Place to Adopt a Pet" in Creative Loafing Tampa's Best of the Bay 2022! We could not have been nominated... Read more
Pinellas Cats Alive! will be closed for intake Tuesday, Aug. 9
Hey, Return To Field volunteers: Pinellas Cats Alive! will be closed for intake Tuesday, Aug. 9. Please do not trap any cats to bring in that day.
The program is still open for intake August... Read more
Friends of Strays welcomes Jennifer Silva, Director of Development
We are excited to welcome Jennifer Silva to our team! In her role, Jennifer will seek out and build relationships with local businesses, adopters, donors, volunteers, and other supporters... Read more
Catsmas in July Adoption Special
Adoption fees will be waived for all cats one year old and older from July 20-31! Read more
Friends of Strays welcomes Jenn Held, Intake & Adoptions Manager
We are excited to welcome Jenn Held to our team! As our Intake & Adoptions Manager, Jenn coordinates with other shelters and rescue groups to transfer pets in and out of our facility, and... Read more
Pinellas Cats Alive! closed for intake Thursday, July 14
Hey, Return To Field volunteers: Pinellas Cats Alive! will be closed for intake Thursday, July 14. Please do not trap any cats to bring in that day.
The program is still open for intake Wednesday,... Read more
Pinellas Cats Alive! intake closed Thursday, July 7
Please do not trap any cats to bring in that day. Read more
2022 Fourth of July Holiday Closures
Friends of Strays will be closed Sunday, July 3, and Monday, July 4, in observance of the holiday. Read more
Claire Wray retires from Friends of Strays
She has served many roles throughout her near-decade with our shelter. Read more
Benjamin J. Kirby joins Friends of Strays Board of Directors
Please join us in welcoming Benjamin J. Kirby as a new member of the Friends of Strays Board of Directors!
Benjamin is a communications professional with thirty years in politics, federal... Read more
June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month!
We have lots of fabulous felines to choose from, but if you're not ready to adopt there are other ways you can support our shelter cats! Read more
2022 Stray Pride T-Shirt Fundraiser
Three local businesses are supporting Friends of Strays with sales from their Stray Pride merch! Read more
Help Support Our Kittens By Participating In Our Kitten Shower!
Kitten season is just around the corner and we'll need all the help we can get to keep the kittens happy and healthy. Read more
Friends of Strays Competes in March Muttness 2022 Fundraising Competition
Friends of Strays, St. Petersburg’s oldest no-kill animal shelter, is participating in March Muttness 2022, a nationwide fundraising competition for nonprofit animal welfare organizations.... Read more
FOS Sets Adoptions Record With 1,547 In 2021
The total smashes the previous shelter record of 1,276 Read more
Friends Of Strays Sets Record With 4,017 Surgeries Performed
Friends of Strays finishes 2021 with 4,017 spay/neuter surgeries performed Read more
Friends of Strays Sets New Record For Adoptions In A Year
Friends of Strays, St. Petersburg’s oldest no-kill animal shelter, has set a new shelter record for completed adoptions in a single year. The previous record, 1,276 was set in 2020. Friends of Strays completed its 1,277th adoption Saturday morning. Read more
Eve Epstein Joins Friends of Strays Board of Directors
Please join us in welcoming Eve Epstein as another new member of the Friends of Strays Board of Directors! Read more
Michael McKenny Joins Friends of Strays Board of Directors
Please join us in welcoming Michael McKenny as another new member of the Friends of Strays Board of Directors! Read more
Rosa Lopez Joins Friends of Strays Board of Directors
Please join us in welcoming the fabulous Rosa Lopez as a new member of the Friends of Strays Board of Directors! Read more
Friends of Strays Awards Community Foundation Of Tampa Bay Grant To Sue Rountree For TNVR Services
Friends of Strays Animal Shelter was delighted this Spring to receive a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay that provided funding for the spay or neuter procedures for 104 community cats. Read more
Petco Love Invests in Lifesaving Work of Friends of Strays
Friends of Strays Animal Shelter announced today a $7,500 grant investment from the newly named, Petco Love, to support their lifesaving work for animals in Pinellas County. Read more
Laurel Moves out of Retirement
Laurel spent the past nine years living with her mom at Westminster Suncoast, a retirement community in St. Petersburg. Their compassionate staff ensured she received great care throughout her time with them, but when Laurel’s mom was diagnosed with dementia, they decided it was in Laurel’s best interest to be rehomed. Read more
Brody’s Retirement to South Pasadena
In honor of Heartworm Awareness Month, the Friends of Strays staff decided to pay Brody a visit. After Dan’s passing, Brody moved into his nextdoor neighbors Michel and Dolores’ lovely cottage overlooking the Gulf. Brody, now heartworm free, excitedly greeted us at the front door, tail wagging and insisting belly rubs. Read more
Spring Break Campers Join Friends of Strays’ Furever Family
Friends of Strays Animal Shelter welcomed children from the James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center into its Furever Family. On March 18, Friends of Strays Shelter Director Mari Salls had the privilege of engaging with the participants of the Sanderlin Center’s Spring Break Camp on the topic of responsible pet ownership. With the help of her canine assistants... Read more
FOS Receives $5,000 Grant from BISSELL Pet Foundation
Friends of Strays (FOS) is proud to announce it has been awarded a $5,000 grant from BISSELL Pet Foundation (BPF) for spay and neuter procedures. FOS hopes to address overcrowding in shelters and rescues by preventing unwanted litters of kittens in Pinellas County. Read more
Let's Celebrate Spay-Neuter Awareness Month!
Friends of Strays is paving the way to a no kill Pinellas County by stabilizing our community cat population through our RTF (Return-To-Field) and TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release) programs. Read more
Paving the Way to a No Kill Pinellas
Friends of Strays is paving the way to a no kill Pinellas County. With the help of a $250,000 grant from Best Friends Animal Society, Friends of Strays Animal Shelter’s new Pinellas Cats Alive! program is estimated to save the lives of 2,800 community, or free-roaming, cats in 2021. Read more
TNVR: More Than Population Control
Long-term population control may be the intended consequence of TNVR, but there are health benefits to every individual cat as well. Vaccines protect outdoor cats from disease and parasites, while spay/neuter surgery comes with longer life expectancy, lower rates of certain cancers, and fewer behavioral issues. Read more
Empty Shelters, Full Houses
Minnie spent her 12 years in and out of the shelter system. A baby on the way, moving to an apartment that doesn’t allow pets, her dislike of most other dogs - whatever the reason, no adoption seemed to stick and Minnie found herself back at the shelter through no fault of her own. When she arrived at Friends of Strays, we were determined to change her luck. Read more
The Dan Calabria Heart-to-Heart Fund: A Good-Bye Salute and a Happy Beginning
In a year that was too frequently filled with sad news, we wanted to share a warm story of friendship and how sorrow can turn into joy. Former Friends of Strays Board Member, Bill Grom, recently established the Dan Calabria Heart to Heart Fund in honor of his late friend and their shared love of shelter animals. Read more
Better Together: Award-Winning Program Helps 1,303 Pets Stay with their Families Amidst Pandemic Woes
Friends of Strays’ Safer At Home program has wrapped up after providing 1,303 pets from 469 Pinellas County families with free veterinary care and pet supplies. A targeted, short-term program that ran from May-December 2020, Safer At Home was designed to help those in our community financially affected by COVID-19 care for their pets through the pandemic and ensuing economic recession. Read more
Home for the Paw-lidays: All Adoption Fees Waived at Friends of Strays for the Rest of the Year!
Amidst the holiday season, Friends of Strays is thrilled to announce that all pets will have their adoption fees waived for the remainder of 2020 in our “Home for the Paw-lidays” adoption promotion! Read more
A New Giving Tuesday Record!
THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this the most successful Giving Tuesday in Friends of Strays history! Whether you donated or helped us spread the word, we couldn't have done it without you! Read more
