Almost 20 years after Friendicoes was founded, a need was felt for a place which could be home to all those animals who have nowhere to go. The city shelter had limited place to provide a home to these animals. And it was not possible to find that kind of space in the city. Hence Friendicoes country sanctuary came into existence.
Located around 54kms away from the city shelter, in a small village called Gopalpur Khera in Gurgaon the sanctuary is home to almost 1000 animals. Spread over 10.5 acres of land, out of which 8 acres are on rent from local villagers, the Friendicoes Sanctuary provides a safe haven to almost 600 dogs, 200 Equines, 80 cats and 40 odd cows, mostly males abandoned as calves. These are those animals who have either grown up with us since babies or have lost a limb to accident or are suffering from old age or some chronic disorder making them unfit to scavenge on the streets. There are also a lot of abandoned pets who have never found homes and so end up living at the sanctuary.
The sanctuary also runs a hospital and ABC centre for dogs from the Gurgaon area. The hospital provides treatment to the distressed animal as well as offers a place to rest and recuperate before going back to the streets. The ABC program caters to the nearby villages and the Gurgaon area with over 500 sterilizations a month.
