Mission Statement: Friends of the Animal Community (FOAC) is a non-profit, a mostly volunteer organization dedicated to meeting the medical and social needs of adoptable pets, providing the path to a loving forever home.
We are a small organization dedicated to relieving over-crowding at Tuolumne County Animal Control (AC); promoting the health of abused and abandoned animals; reducing unnecessary euthanasia; and ultimately expediting movement of homeless dogs into permanent, loving homes. As its name denotes, FOAC also provides assistance in meeting the needs of pets belonging to people in our community. These needs include re-homing a pet whose owner must relinquish it, or who can no longer care for it, and, in extreme emergencies, we have helped with financial assistance for medical issues or boarding and feeding. We are the only dog rescue group in Tuolumne County that offers this free service. Essentially, we give animals another chance for a better life.
FOAC has a small facility with limited space to house and care for a limited number of animals on site. Our Facility is located in Sonora, Ca at 14841 Mono Way Sonora, Ca 95370. The majority of our animals, are in foster care homes. Foster families are the heart and soul of FOAC. They provide a loving, transitional setting for pets as they await their new forever home. FOAC keeps overhead costs to a minimum, ensuring money received goes towards helping more animals.
Since its formation in 2001, FOAC has re-homed over 6,000 animals. According to Animal Control, FOAC has “provided an additional option for Animal Control dogs, lowering the euthanasia rate from 50% to less than 25%.
Our Scope of Operations:
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Assist Tuolumne County Animal Control in placing adoptable pets that would otherwise be euthanized due to overcrowding and/or the medical status of the animals.
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Assist individuals and families within the community to re-home their pets when family circumstances change and they can no longer care for their pets.
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Work with homeless dogs and cats of all breeds
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Provide medical care, foster homes and placement screening for all animals in our care.
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Work with the community to promote, teach and model positive pet-human relationships for life.
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Use Petfinder (a national pet placement website), Facebook, Craig’s List, all available media to facilitate our adoptions and recruit foster families.
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Assist community members in who need help in caring for their pets during times of emergency.
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Provide medical care, training, or additional services needed to render a dog more adoptable.
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Work with Meals on Wheels to place (and care for) pets with senior citizens wanting to add a pet to their lives.
Adoptions for the last 11 years: Total Intakes
2012 – 194
2013 – 229
2014 – 315
2015 – 376 410
2016 – 369 325
2017 – 440 286
2018 – 551 641
2019 - 685 745
2020 - 683 696
2021 - 553 673
2022 - 886 1111
2023 - 881 1019
2024 - 765 962
2025 - 260
Intakes- Breakdown:
From Animal Control
2015 137
2016 79
2017 104
2018 101
2019 136
2020 119
2021 67
2022 81
2023 73
2024 98
From Community
2015 273
2016 204
2017 320
2018 543
2019 619
2020 577
2021 605
2022 959
2023 786
2024 681
Save Rate/Live Outcomes – 100%
FOAC Board of Directors
Darlene Mathews, **President and Founder
President and Founder
2000 – Present
darlene4paws@msn.com
Maureen Miller, **Vice President
Vice President
2011 – Present
reeniecamp@aol.com
Terri Detert, with her Mollie, *Director of Daily Operations
Director of Daily Operations at Rescue Center
2018 – Present
terricolette@yahoo.com
Blair Davis, Treasurer
2025 - Present
Reggie Rnoddings *Member at Large
2022 - Present
Sandi Romena, Fundraising Chair
2024 - Present
Debbie Toy, Secretary
2024 - Present
History & Operations
FOAC was established as a 501)(c)(3) non-profit, stand-alone organization in 2001 as a companion organization to Tuolumne County Animal Control and was thus named “Friends of Animal Control”. Initially, our mission was to relieve crowding at the Animal Shelter, expedite movement of homeless pets into permanent, loving homes, and reduce the number of unnecessary euthanizations at the Animal Shelter. At that time, we were staffed by concerned employees and volunteers of Animal Control.
Our initial process, which continues today, is to move pets out of Animal Control into Foster Care or a breed-specific rescue organization with the ultimate goal of finding the best possible home for the pet. We visit Animal Control on a periodic basis to determine which pets are good candidates for FOAC services. Correspondingly, Animal Control will call us when they identify a good candidate and we respond by going to the Animal Shelter for an assessment.
Once a pet is selected for FOAC services, they have a medical screening by a local veterinarian. An assessment is made as to the viability of providing medical care, from two perspectives, the age and condition of the pet and available financial resources. If the pet is a viable candidate for the medical treatment but funds are not available, FOAC conducts pet specific fund-raising events to ensure that medical care is provided.
FOAC has a small facility and can only house a small number of animals. Foster Homes are at the heart of FOAC’s success. Foster homes ensure that each pet is socialized within a home environment and we have an opportunity to assess the type of home to which the pet is most likely to adapt.
The foster home model of operation also ensures effective use of FOAC funds which are fully dependent upon the generosity of people and businesses in our community. We receive no financial assistance from any governmental agency.
Recently, we have expanded our services to assist families who can no longer care for their pet due to personal circumstances. We have helped when families have lost their homes or relocated and cannot take their pets with them. We have helped when medical crises arise and caring for a pet is not possible. We have also helped when the death of the owner dictates a new home for a pet.
The expansion of services within the community has prompted us to rename our organization, “Friends of the Animal Community”. Our abbreviated name, FOAC remains unchanged. And our commitment to the pets in our community is unwavering.
Adoption History: 6923 Animals Adopted (as of Dec 30, 2012)
2024 962 Intakes and 765 Adoptions
2023 1019 Intakes and 881 Adoptions
2022 1111 Intakes and 886 Adoptions
2021 673 Intakes and 553 Adoptions
2020 693 Intakes and 681 Adoptions
2019 759 Intakes, and 683 Adoptions
2018 551
2017 440
2016 369
2015 376
2014 315
2013 229
2012 194
FOAC Sources & Uses of Funds
FOAC is committed to using our funds responsibly to ensure the confidence of our donors. We receive funding from 4 major sources:
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from individuals and businesses within the community
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from events planned and conducted by FOAC
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from adoptions
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from reimbursements and refunds.
The majority of funding comes from within our local community as a direct or indirect result of our fundraising activities. Adoptions account for 40% of our sources of funds, a direct indication of the number of pets we place in loving permanent homes. Our objective is to provide the finest care possible for as many needy pets as we can within the limitations of our available time and funds. Funds are used to cover all expenses to support our mission.