Who We Are
Always Room for One More is a home-based microsanctuary that provides a safe haven for companion animals who may have medical issues, behavioral concerns, or other needs which impact adoptability.
In addition to nurturing the animals in our care, we also aim to educate the public about microsanctuaries and empower animal advocates to establish and sustain one of their own.
Our beginning
As the youngest child of an animal-loving family, I saw early on how love, patience, and a selfless approach to animal care can heal even the most bruised hearts after trauma and abuse. As a young adult I channeled that passion into a degree in animal welfare and started a pet care business that specialized in animals with medical and behavioral special needs before going on to work at the humane society as the shelter vet tech. After an injury that required multiple surgeries, I decided to use the time recovering in bed to go back to school to pursue a similar passion: still working with trauma and abuse, but this time with humans as a licensed clinical mental health counselor.
After moving into my first home — a 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse with two dogs and a cat — I quickly realized that it was quite a lot of house for just us. Within a month I began fostering a pregnant cat, who gave birth to her four kittens in the closet of the third bedroom. At the time I was working in a community mental health setting, a job I loved but was also emotionally draining. Coming home to a room full of kittens and a household of animals and chores ended up being the perfect way to clear my head and feel both grounded and productive.
This routine, along with animals who were used to fosters coming and going, meant that it was easy to add new critters to the mix, no matter their species, medical needs, or behavioral concerns. The final piece of the puzzle fit into place when I started my teletherapy private practice from home and was able to monitor and care for the animals full time. I’d discovered the magic of a home-based microsanctuary, and it was a dream come true!
Our guiding principle
“It is not only their fellow human beings that the beloved of God must treat with mercy and compassion, rather must they show forth the utmost loving-kindness to every living creature. For in all physical respects, and where the animal spirit is concerned, the self-same feelings are shared by animal and man . . . The feelings are one and the same, whether ye inflict pain on man or on beast. There is no difference here whatever. And indeed ye do worse to harm an animal, for man hath a language, he can lodge a complaint, he can cry out and moan; if injured he can have recourse to the authorities and these will protect him from his aggressor. But the hapless beast is mute, able neither to express its hurt nor take its case to the authorities . . . Therefore it is essential that ye show forth the utmost consideration to the animal, and that ye be even kinder to him than to your fellow man. Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and loving to animals. If an animal be sick, let them try to heal it, if it be hungry, let them feed it, if thirsty, let them quench its thirst, if weary, let them see that it rests.”
-‘Abdu’l-Bahá, from the Writings of the Bahá’i Faith
Our namesake
I was born and raised in Hong Kong, which was a British territory at the time. Growing up in such a multicultural city meant that I was lucky enough to be exposed to a variety of traditions and folktales. One such tale was introduced to me in a children’s book by Sorche Nic Leodhas entitled “Always Room for One More” which was based on a folk tune preserved by oral tradition. In the story, a man named Lachie MacLachlan, his wife, and their ten children lived in a small house and welcomed in every traveler with the call, “Och, come awa’ in! There’s room for one more, always room for one more!”
As the years went by, this became a common refrain as we fostered, took in lost animals until we could locate their families, and added new members to the family. Today, it’s our maxim. Whether it’s for a single night in an emergency or a lifetime in sanctuary, if an animal passes through our doors, we make room and rearrange whatever we need to so they feel safe and loved for as long as they’re with us.