7 Unique Animal Rescues in Rhode Island
These Rhode Island-based rescues offer specialized care to animals who need a little extra help finding their forever homes.
Smith and Agli’s Potbelly Manor. Photography by Meaghan Susi.
Vintage Pet Rescue
For the past decade, Kristen and Marc Peralta have helped aging pets live out their golden years in style through Vintage Pet Rescue, a rescue specializing in care for senior dogs. The couple, who met at an animal shelter, takes in dogs whose owners are no longer able to keep them and offers them a comfortable retirement at their Foster shelter, or else rehomes them through a network of foster parents and families. vintagepetrescue.org
Potbelly Manor
Even pigs need a little rest and relaxation once in a while. Audrey Agli and Liz Smith have been delivering that and more since 1995 at Potbelly Manor, a sanctuary for potbelly pigs and other farm animals. The colorful herd lives its best life at the North Kingstown property, where animals get daily care and the chance to interact with staff and volunteers. What more could a pig want? potbellymanor.org
Rhode Island Parrot Rescue
With a lifespan that can reach more than eighty years, parrots often find themselves without a home as their owners pass on or are unable to care for their noisy companions. Rhode Island Parrot Rescue is the state’s only nonprofit rescue dedicated exclusively to rescuing, rehabilitating and placing exotic birds into qualified homes. The organization finds new families and helps owners understand their bird’s wild behaviors so pet and parent can have a happy home. riparrots.org
West Place Animal Sanctuary
This East Bay animal sanctuary was founded in 2007 when Wendy Taylor, a lawyer-turned-animal-advocate, opened her Tiverton property to animals in need in memory of nine pets she’d lost in a house fire. The beloved sanctuary is now among the largest in Rhode Island, home to about 100 animals, including those rescued from cruelty and neglect. The organization also recently expanded its mission to offer educational opportunities to local youth. westplace.org
Sweet Binks Rescue
Originally founded as a rabbit rescue, Sweet Binks transformed its mission in 2017 to focus on wildlife rehabilitation for injured and orphaned animals. The Foster-based rescue frequently responds to calls for wild critters in need of a little TLC, from owls and fawns to squirrels, ospreys and skunks. Just remember — caring for wildlife without a permit is illegal, so always call an expert if you think you’ve found an animal in need. sweetbinks.org
Foster Parrots
After Foster Parrots experienced a devastating fire on their Hopkinton property in 2021, other organizations stepped up to help. The group is now working to rebuild on the former chicken farm that serves as a sanctuary for abused or unwanted parrots and other exotic pets. More than 300 animals live at the twenty-three-acre plot with space to play and socialize, the closest many of them will ever come to flying free. fosterparrots.com
Handsome Dan’s Rescue
According to research, pit bulls wait up to three times as long as other dogs before they’re adopted from shelters. That’s why Handsome Dan’s Rescue is committed to rescuing pit bull-type dogs and working with local shelters to find them homes. The organization arranges foster care and offers a shelter dog enrichment program to help pups once considered “unadoptable” develop the skills they’ll need to find their forever homes. handsomedansrescue.org
