After just a year of rescuing and finding forever homes for stray and abandoned dogs in Homewood, Fido’s Landing is closing the doors of its physical shelter — forced out not by a lack of dedication, but by a building that no longer could support its mission.
Three-month-old Jay is one of the dogs available for foster or adoption from Fido's Landing. (Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
One year ago, the initially home-based, no-kill rescue group moved into the building at 2207 W. 183rd Street, which seemed like an ideal space: It previously housed the South Suburban Humane Society’s Adoption Center. The facility offered familiar infrastructure — kennels, runs, and room to grow — and after 18 years of rescuing dogs by using foster homes to care for them while they waited for forever homes, director/owner Sarah Montgomery hoped she would be able to expand her capacity to take in and place more homeless animals.
Instead, the venture became a year of mounting challenges.
Almost immediately, problems with the structure began to surface. The roof leaked during rainstorms, sending water into kennel areas and common spaces. Flooding became a recurring issue, creating unsafe conditions for both animals and volunteers. Over time, persistent moisture led to mold growth, raising serious health concerns, and the HVAC system was unable to heat or cool the kennels and offices sufficiently.
Despite repeated requests, the landlord failed to make necessary repairs.
“We did everything we could to keep going,” Montgomery said. “We patched what we could, moved dogs around to keep them safe, and kept asking for help.”
As conditions deteriorated, the rescue faced difficult choices. Limited resources were increasingly diverted toward temporary structural fixes rather than animal care. Volunteers worked tirelessly, but the physical and financial strain took its toll.
Ultimately, at the end of April the organization made the decision to close the physical shelter facility and transition back to a home-based rescue model.
Under this approach, dogs will be cared for in foster homes rather than housed in a central location. While this limits the number of animals the rescue can take in at one time, it allows the rescuers to continue their mission in a safer and more sustainable way.
Since opening in May 2025, Fido’s Landing has taken in and placed 522 homeless dogs. Presently, it has 38 canines in its care, 22 of them in the shelter, and the rest are in foster care. At present, the shelter’s hours are mostly by appointment as the shelter’s work force has shrunk.
Montgomery said clearing out of the 183rd Street structure will be a monumental task because they have to determine what to trash and what to retain and then distribute what’s left to their participating foster homes. To that end, Montgomery is planning an on-site Pivot Party for June 28 in an effort to place any remaining animals and sell off items from the shelter, such as the hand-painted dog portraits that line the walls, to help pay off their repair debts. She said she will stay with the building until the end of July.
“This isn’t the ending we wanted,” Montgomery said. “But it’s not the end of our work. We still will be here for the dogs—we just have to do it differently now.”
Montgomery said she is planning to open the shelter with limited hours between now and the Pivot Party. Community members can support the transition by volunteering as foster families, donating supplies, or contributing financially to help the rescue rebuild its operations and continue its mission — one dog, one home, at a time.
Right now, the best way to contact Fido’s Landing is via email at [email protected].
