From Tragedy Came Inspiration: The History Behind WPAS
West Place Animal Sanctuary was created by Founder Wendy Taylor Humphrey in 2007, after a devastating loss several years prior.
On February 24, 2003, Wendy received a call that her home was on fire. She was an hour and a half away at the time, arriving home to find fire trucks from three towns still trying to contain the damage. In the house at the time were her two dogs, a Doberman named Dobie, a Black Lab named Jake, her cats, Alec, Mulder, Tweak, Maizey, Bailey and Stewart, and her goat, Mo, who was recuperating from surgery. None of them could be saved, as the fire had smoldered for four hours before there was any external evidence to alert passersby, and her dear pets perished from smoke inhalation.
After almost two years of rebuilding the home, Wendy needed to find a way to right this horrible wrong and to help other animals by giving back. A friend suggested that she start a foundation that would fund other animal organizations. A wonderful idea, but she needed to be more involved; more ‘hands-on.’ Instead, she trained to become a wildlife rehabilitator and has a sub-permit through the RI Department of Environmental Management. She then incorporated West Place Animal Sanctuary, and in 2007 it became a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since its inception, the organization has helped dozens of farm animals and hundreds of wildlife get a second chance at life.