How It All Began

Renee Harlor-Staples and Cherie Fox were introduced in 2009 while volunteering for Our Lil Bit Of Heaven, a dog rescue in Poland, Indiana. Over the next two years, they spent their time separately working to save the lives of homeless animals. It wasn’t until a September evening two years later that the two actually had a conversation. They will tell you it was simply a case of “too many animals being euthanized, a lot of talk and a lot of negativity, but no action” that brought them together. They agreed that it was time to fill the void in Hendricks County. Thus, Misty Eyes Animal Center was founded in October 2011, adopting core values of Team Work, Integrity, Professionalism and Kindness.

Our Mission

It is the mission of Misty Eyes to end the needless euthanasia of domesticated pets in Central Indiana  and to teach responsible pet ownership and kindness towards all living things. We will do this by working with local organizations, providing community outreach, spay/neuter education and educating adopters, to create lifetime adoptions. These relationships, an enthusiastic volunteer network and a dedicated foster system will help us achieve this goal.

Financial

Misty Eyes Animal Center is a 501[c]3 charitable organization. We do not receive any government funding. Our funds are derived from personal and corporate contributions, fund raisers and grants.  We are a 100% volunteer organization with no paid employees. Misty Eyes operates under the principal of a balanced budget. We will never take on more than we can handle financially, which we believe will allow us long-term sustainability.  We are currently raising funds to complete our permanent facility, while raising funds for our daily operations at the same time.

Our Future

It has always been our goal to build a permanent facility. In just two years, Misty Eyes turned away over 1,600 animals, mainly due to space constraints, proving both the need and the urgency. Our facility is being developed in phases. The first phase, currently in progress, is the main building which will serve as our adoption center and house administrative offices. The next phase is the construction of a dedicated cat building, followed by a phase to build our dog facility. Finally, we plan to develop a garden area with walking paths and a home-like building in which animals can learn to live in a home environment.