About Tails of the Forgotten Paws Inc
Tails of the Forgotten Paws Incorporated is a professional fully licensed, recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue and sanctuary animal welfare organization. We have been operating since 1997, originally under other names. We officially became Tails of the Forgotten Paws Incorporated in 2016 and have remained in continuous operation under this name ever since.
🌎 Where We Operate
*Illinois – Our Business, Adoption, Foster Location & Outreach Hub
*100% foster-based rescue system, we do not operate a public shelter in Illinois.
*All adoptions, foster coordination
*Bi-weekly private adoption and foster pickups, foster meetings, and bi-weekly public community events
❤️ Illinois is the heart of our public operations. This is where pre-approved fosters open their homes, and approved adopters complete the final steps to bring home their animals. Our Illinois fosters provide a bridge, helping dogs decompress, adjust, and prepare for adoption.
Every placement is thoughtful and individualized. We educate adopters, ensure post-adoption support through thorough documentation, urgent situations, and uphold strict policy standards to safeguard each animal’s future.
🌲 Arkansas – Our Sanctuary, Safe Haven For Seniors/Hospice Animals, Unadoptable Dogs & Southern Intake Facility
* Long-term sanctuary and hospice care for senior and terminally ill animals
* Intensive medical rehabilitation for animals with complex or urgent needs
* Behavioral recovery for dogs with fear, trauma, or aggression-related challenges
* Permanent placement for animals deemed unadoptable due to health or behavior
* Intake operations for high-risk animals from Arkansas and surrounding Southern states
Due to the devastating overpopulation, lack of enforcement, and chronic suffering in the Southern U.S., we actively rescue animals that would otherwise have no chance at survival. Many northern rescues, including large organizations like WW Rescue, regularly pull from these areas. Our Arkansas facility exists to stabilize, treat, and protect these animals before they transition into foster care and adoption readiness.
🌍 While many organizations transfer animals between rescues or states, we are a single unified organization, not two separate rescues or a partnership. We operate under one name, one mission, and one standard of care, legally licensed in both states. We are unique in the animal welfare world.
-Our animals are never handed off to unknown third parties. Every step, from rescue to rehabilitation to rehoming, is managed by our own team, with full documentation, shared medical records, and internal oversight. You get a full complete history of each animal, from where they came from..their past story (if known) and their journey to “home ready” ❤️ We handle it all…
✅ Legal Status & Public Verification
🧾 A legally licensed rescue in both Illinois and Arkansas
🏛️ A verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal welfare organization with the IRS
🐄 Registered and compliant with the Illinois Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare
🐷 Registered and compliant with the Arkansas Secretary of State – Business Services Division
🔍 You may verify our nonprofit status at:
official IRS Exempt Organizations web page
☑️ check out our Illinois licensing here
🚗 Where Our Adoptions Happen
🐾 We adopt from our Illinois working area, with all adopters and fosters meetings us for pickups out of Lake in the Hills, Illinois. We hold these private scheduled events at Pet Supply Plus, LITH!
*We DO allow out-of-state adoptions, but:
* You must travel to us (arrangements are made once approved)
* We do not deliver animals. We have a specific place we meet for events and pickups.
* Animals are never sent to unverified homes
. 🛑 WE DO NOT DO OPEN ADOPTIONS
What This Means:
☑️ We do not hand over animals to anyone without a structured process.
🐾 Every adopter must:
☑️ Be fully screened and approved
☑️Read and sign all required contracts
☑️Follow our step-by-step adoption procedures
📌We do not offer walk-in or same-day adoptions, and we do not allow animals to leave our care without verified pickup, documentation, and confirmation of readiness. This protects the safety of our animals and ensures stable, responsible placements.
Facility Design & Enrichment Ethos
At Tails of the Forgotten Paws Inc., our sanctuary was never designed to mimic traditional kennels. It was built with one goal: to provide natural, humane, and mentally enriching living environments for dogs, especially those who may never be adopted. While many shelters rely on concrete runs, metal walls, and sterilized structures, our animals live in large, open-air, natural dirt-floored enclosures, designed to reflect what dogs truly need: freedom, stimulation, and dignity.
🌿 Why Natural Living Matters
Dogs were not designed for cages. They were designed for movement, exploration, and sensory engagement. Our setup reflects this truth:
Large, Natural Living Spaces:
Our sanctuary dogs live in 50 x 80 ft (or larger) outdoor runs with dirt or grassy flooring, shaded areas, doghouses, enrichment items, pools, and optional indoor shelter areas. Many enclosures connect to mobile-home-style living spaces for indoor-outdoor flow.
Mental Health Comes First:
Our dogs dig, roll, sunbathe, splash, smell the wind, and move freely. They are mentally healthy, behaviorally stable, and emotionally fulfilled. We do not have dogs pacing in steel cages or breaking down from kennel-induced stress.
Science-Backed Design:
This design isn’t just "feel-good", it's science-backed. Studies show that long-term kenneled dogs face elevated cortisol levels, learned helplessness, and behavioral shutdown. (Sources: IAABC, Fear Free Shelter Program, AVSAB.) Our dogs stay behaviorally balanced because they’re never deprived of movement, choice, or environmental input.
Physical Health Matters Too:
Concrete may be easier to hose down, but it causes pressure sores, joint damage, heat and cold retention, and is notoriously hard on geriatric and large-breed dogs. Our natural flooring protects joints and paws, especially for seniors and long-term residents.
Sanitation without Sacrificing Nature:
We use rotating lime treatments, daily poop pickup, diatomaceous earth, and other natural sanitation measures. Water bowls and feeders are cleaned and rotated daily. Toys and bedding are washed regularly. Cleanliness and enrichment do not need to be at odds.
🧍 Daily Human Interaction & Behavior Monitoring
Every dog in our care receives daily hands-on interaction from trained staff and volunteers, including those with behavioral challenges or human reactivity. Through consistent, respectful handling, even our most fearful or defensive dogs typically bond with at least one trusted person, often our founder, Tonya, or long-term volunteers who understand their history and trauma.
These dogs are not left to deteriorate emotionally in isolation. We learn their rhythms, respect their thresholds, and build trust over time.
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We pay close attention to:
*Changes in eating, bathroom habits, movement, or posture
*Social behavior shifts
*Grooming habits, vocalizations, and signs of discomfort
We are trained to recognize subtle shifts in posture, energy, or behavior, often detecting illness or stress before it becomes critical. Every dog has a known “baseline,” and we adjust care as soon as any deviation is observed.
This is not a warehouse. This is a living, breathing sanctuary where every animal is seen, known, and protected.
❤️ For the Ones Who Stay Forever
We provide lifetime care for dogs deemed unadoptable due to age, medical conditions, trauma, or aggression. For many of them, we are the only safe space they will ever know. That space must be more than sterile, it must be sacred.
These dogs do not live in holding cells.
They live in spaces that reflect who they are, what they need, and the respect they’ve earned simply by surviving.
✅ This is Sanctuary - Not Shelter.
Our environment is the product of:
*Three decades of hands-on rescue experience
*Veterinary-backed protocols
*A core belief that dogs deserve more than just "safe", they deserve quality of life.
🐕🦺 Built for Dogs, Not People
We didn’t build this space for visitors. We built it for the animals. Our enclosures were strategically built into the landscapes, some literally carved into the woods without removing the trees. Dogs watch squirrels, chase birds, sunbathe, nap in leaf cover, or curl up inside their house when it rains. Many enclosures have shaded forest canopies, and the scent-rich environment keeps their senses engaged.
To the outside world, it may not look like a “facility.” But to the dogs, it feels like home.
*They do not pace.
*They do not cry behind metal bars.
*They do not shut down or get depressed
*They run. They rest. They explore.
For those who will never leave, this isn’t temporary. This is their land.
