Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary, Inc. (HEA) - has been doing important work in the companion animal welfare space for nearly 15 years, and we're just getting started! As a local, family-run, independent non-profit, our dreams are big. With your help, we want to create a world where the life of every companion animal matters...
Every.Single.One. Where we started Back in 2006, HEA's founder was a 21-year-old college student when she learned that 50% of cats and dogs entering shelters lost their lives. Amanda Reitz set out to save them, one by one. This young lady had visions of a refuge for any dog or cat in need of a safe and loving home. That dream became a reality when she found Walter, Happily Ever After's first rescue dog, wandering the woods of Northern Wisconsin. Amanda and her parents, Ken and Lois Reitz, brought Walter home and proceeded to found HEA in the family garage. The Reitz family committed to making the welfare of companion animals their life's work. Together, they set out on a journey to create positive and lasting change in companion animal welfare.
Thanks to the passion and dedication of volunteers, adopters, donors, and the communities of Northeast Wisconsin and beyond, HEA quickly outgrew the garage. In 2006, we opened our Sanctuary in Marion, Wisconsin. What was once the farmstead of the late Lester Bork, Amanda's grandfather, is now home to dogs and cats who receive the unconditional love and security they deserve. Our first Adoption Center opened in 2010, allowing us to match more pets with their forever families. In 2016, Amanda's brother, Marcus, joined the team, making HEA the entire Reitz family's venture. That same year, we celebrated the grand opening of our current state-of-the-art Adoption Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, thanks to the gifts of many generous donors and community volunteers. And in 2019, we launched
Destination HEA, an innovative overnight guest experience at our Sanctuary.
Where we are Each year, more than 1,000,000 companion animals lose their lives in shelters across the US. HEA is working to displace unnecessary killing with other life-saving solutions. Through collaborative relationships with other animal welfare organizations, our impact continues to grow. We carry out our compassionate mission through our five pillars: adoption, education, spaying/neutering, rehabilitation, and sanctuary.
Learn more about the five pillars of our work. Where we're going Our story does not end here. Collaborative efforts among shelters, rescues, transport groups, and sanctuaries continue to positively change the landscape of animal welfare. We're accomplishing more and more together, but we have many more lives to change. HEA is determined to see the day when 100% of companion animals receive the care and love they deserve. We won't stop working to find ways to create a world where the life of every companion animal matters…