Our History

Peninsula Friends of Animals has served the Olympic Peninsula as a cageless, no-kill nonprofit since 2000. Finding a permanent home, building an organization from the ground up, and caring for thousands of cats and dogs has shaped the first 25 years of rescue, adoption, and low-cost spay/neuter service.

This history is told in PFOA’s own words, drawing on recollections shared by the shelter’s first live-in manager for the 25th Anniversary Issue of Pet Tidings.

Finding a home

From the inception, a small group of founders set out to create a state-of-the-art no-kill shelter where none had existed before on the North Olympic Peninsula. That work included searching for a suitable building, testifying before the Clallam County Council to secure a license to operate, overseeing for weeks the workers who prepared the interior, and organizing volunteers — at that time, everyone involved was a volunteer — who shared the dream of a sanctuary built around the animals’ needs.

The building they found became Safe Haven, a 5,000-square-foot, two-story rancher on Highway 101 between Sequim and Port Angeles, remodeled to provide room for dozens of animals along with administrative space, food preparation, and storage. It remains PFOA’s primary facility.

Our First 25 Years

This page was originally intended to provide our viewers with the history of our organization: how we were founded, the process of building the organization, finding our beautiful home at Safe Haven, and the many significant events over the last 25 years of rescue, adoption and low-cost spay / neuter services.

In response to our 25th Anniversary Issue of Pet Tidings, we received a beautifully written letter from our first Shelter Manager, Gary del Mastro, describing not only the beginnings of PFOA, but more importantly, the heart and soul of our organization. Gary has graciously given his permission to share his thoughts with all of you.

Read the 25th Anniversary Issue referenced in the letter: Pet Tidings Fall/Winter 2025 — 25th Anniversary Issue (PDF)

November 9, 2025

Dear PFOA,

As the original live-in shelter manager and caretaker of the cats at Safe Haven, I was beyond thrilled to see the 25th Anniversary Issue of Pet Tidings—the newsletter I proudly created way back then and published when I wasn’t otherwise attending to the needs of the resident cats, the adopters, the volunteers or the staff!

Along with several other devoted folks I was there from the inception, searching for a suitable building, testifying before the County Council in the effort to get our license to operate, overseeing for weeks the workers who were preparing the interior of the building, and rounding up and organizing the volunteers (as every one of us was at the time) who were intent on making our shared dream of a state-of-the art no-kill shelter come to fruition.

When I ultimately moved on from my time at Safe Haven I had been personally involved in the adoption of 750 cats. To see that number has risen to almost 4,000 is an incredibly satisfying testament to the dedication of all of those who have become involved over the years.

I can’t tell you how happy I was to see among the names of current board members, staff and volunteers, five who were with me there from the beginning: Sharon Palmer, Donna Criscione, Della Floyd, Kimmie Kitts and Nancy Campbell. I once read that the average pet shelter worker burns out in less than three years due to the physical and emotional stress of the work. The fact that those five individuals have endured for 25 validates the belief that the love of and dedication to animals is right up there with the greatest love of all.

We dreamed big when we went about the process of opening the first of its kind sanctuary in our community. Kudos to all of you who are keeping that dream alive! May Safe Haven’s light never go out.

Warm regards,

Gary Del Mastro

The first 25 years

What began as an all-volunteer effort grew into sustained, daily care and placement work. By the time the original live-in shelter manager moved on from his role, he had been personally involved in the adoption of 750 cats. By the 25th anniversary, that cumulative number had risen to almost 4,000 — a measure, he noted, of the dedication of all who have become involved over the years.

The original history page was intended to trace these milestones: how the organization was founded, how Safe Haven was found and prepared, and the many significant events in rescue, adoption, and spay/neuter service across a quarter century. In 2025, that story was deepened by a letter written for the anniversary issue of Pet Tidings, the newsletter Gary del Mastro created in the early years and published between his duties caring for cats, adopters, volunteers, and staff.

Continuity and heart

Gary del Mastro, the original live-in shelter manager and caretaker of the cats at Safe Haven, reflected on the people who carried the work forward. Among the names of current board members, staff, and volunteers at the time of the anniversary, he recognized five who had been there from the beginning: Sharon Palmer, Donna Criscione, Della Floyd, Kimmie Kitts, and Nancy Campbell.

He observed that the average shelter worker burns out in less than three years because of the physical and emotional demands of the work, making that 25-year continuity especially meaningful — a testament to a love of and dedication to animals that endures.

“We dreamed big when we went about the process of opening the first of its kind sanctuary in our community. Kudos to all of you who are keeping that dream alive! May Safe Haven’s light never go out.”

— Gary del Mastro, November 9, 2025

That sentiment, shared with permission from Gary’s anniversary letter, continues to describe PFOA today: a privately held, publicly funded group, rooted on the Peninsula, organized around prevention, care, and permanent homes.

For current information about PFOA’s facilities and visiting, see Facilities and Contact.