Inside Alaqua Animal Refuge
Words by Mallory Lehenbauer
Photso by Annabelle Dedmore
Alaqua Animal Refuge began at the end of a dirt road in the panhandle of Walton County, Florida.
Founder and CEO Laurie Hood explains, “My husband and I lived in Destin, and it was crowded, and we decided to move out to the country—which we did, and we moved to the end of the dirt road. Very quickly it became evident that there was a problem for animals here in the county. Since we were at the end of a dead-end road, people would dump animals on the road all the time, and my curiosity peaked.”
After seeing this happen multiple times, Laurie reached out to county officials to ask about a local animal shelter. They informed her one did not exist. There wasn’t an animal control facility or department. The neighboring counties also didn’t have a shelter or animal control facility. Animals were being picked up and transferred to a facility several counties away which served as a holding facility. Hundreds of animals were euthanized. They were not open to the public, and there was not a way to adopt or support these animals.
Laurie was astounded.
“I just had my two children,” she says. “Something snapped in me. I blame it on hormones. But that’s the truth, and I decided that I needed to do something and to make a difference. We had 10 acres of land across the street from where I lived and I turned that into an animal shelter and built the kennels myself.”
Recently, Alaqua Animal Refuge moved from this original location of 10 acres to 100 acres. According to their website, the shelter has since grown and expanded into a refuge that provides respite for over 500 animals at any given time. Since its founding year, Alaqua has helped find homes for tens of thousands of animals, with over 100 adoptions completed each month.
Executive Director Paul Arthur attributes so much of their success to helping and supporting animals in need to their amazing community support.
“In 2023, we had 467 new volunteers to help our cause and our numbers are increasing more and more,” Paul explains. “It truly is a central location for community involvement.”
Running such a large operation comes with significant costs. The monthly operational expenses at Alaqua exceed $250,000. As a nonprofit organization, it operates solely on donations and fundraising events. The continued generosity of supporters ensures that the refuge can maintain its mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need.
“The mission is for people to have the knowledge, the know-how, and desire to be a voice for animals either domestic or wild,” Paul says about the importance of the work they do at Alaqua. He says there is always a need for donations, whether monetary, volunteer hours, linens, dog food, cat food, and more.
Since its founding year, Alaqua has helped find homes for tens of thousands of animals, with over 100 adoptions completed each month.
“We are a 3.5 million dollar company,” he explains.” That is not easy to find. We hustle for every penny we get to make this happen.”
Beyond adoption and rescue efforts, Alaqua has expanded its mission to include education and sanctuary work. The refuge is home to a variety of domestic and farm animals, as well as some exotic species. At any given time, they care for dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, goats, emus, tortoises, large parrots, and even one water buffalo. Previously, Alaqua operated a wildlife rehabilitation center but found that many animals that could not be released had nowhere to go. Now, their new facility will include a sanctuary where non-releasable wildlife can live.
Laurie hopes that the impact of Alaqua can serve as a blueprint for other communities facing similar challenges.
“Part of our mission moving forward is to be a model for other organizations,” she explains. “People from across the country reach out to us every month because they want to start something similar in their own communities. We take all the knowledge we’ve gained—the big learning curve from the beginning to now—and we want to be a facility that those groups can come to for guidance. We have cottages on the property where they can stay, volunteer, and learn about what we do. Whether they’re focused on horse rescue, dog and cat rescue, or wildlife care, we want to help cut their learning curve so they can make a bigger impact in their own areas.”
Laurie recognizes that while Alaqua cannot save every animal in need, empowering others to take action in their own communities will multiply the impact. With its new facility and expanding mission, Alaqua continues to be a beacon of hope for animals and advocates nationwide. The refuge is not just a shelter—it’s a movement to change the way animals are treated and to inspire others to do the same.
“I believe the future is going to be very big!” Paul exclaims. “There are just so many opportunities to make a difference for animals on this 100 acres. We are at the launching off pad right now, and we are going to make a difference going forward.”
