Our Story

The Potter League for Animals (PLFA) is a local, private, nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to animal welfare. Each year, the Potter League provides direct care and essential services to more than 13,000 animals through programs in the community and across our three facilities in Rhode Island. Through the breadth and depth of our programs, the Potter League is the most comprehensive animal well-being organization in Rhode Island.

The Potter League Animal Care and Adoption Center, located in Middletown, RI, accepts owner-surrendered animals as well as stray animals from the communities with which we have animal control housing contracts: Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, and Tiverton.

Approximately 2,000 dogs, cats, rabbits, and other small animals are cared for at our shelter annually. Our commitment to animals means we pursue all reasonable efforts to support their physical and behavioral well-being. That commitment includes being the only animal welfare organization in Rhode Island with a full-time veterinarian dedicated exclusively to the care of shelter animals, along with two full-time staff members focused on behavioral care.

First and foremost, we are dedicated to keeping animals in their homes whenever possible. Nearly 2,000 owned animals and their families seek our training, lost and found, and behavior support services each year. Our Pet Food Pantry has distributed tens of thousands of pounds of pet food to people in need across the state, and our Pet Safe program provides free, temporary housing for pets whose guardians are experiencing crises such as homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or hospitalization.

Access to veterinary care is a critical part of keeping pets with the people who love them. The Potter League Spay & Neuter Clinic, located in Warwick, RI, performs more than 6,000 subsidized surgeries each year for dogs and cats in Rhode Island and neighboring communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The Potter League works collaboratively with local community-based organizations as well as animal welfare and rescue partners nationwide. We serve as an animal emergency response location during disasters and have played a vital role in helping animals following catastrophic events. As an advocate for all animals, we monitor statewide legislative issues and work to ensure policies enacted into law are effective, humane, and sound.

We are proud to serve as Rhode Island’s animal resource center, offering vital programs and support for animals who rely on the care and compassion of people.

The Potter League for Animals is a 4-Star Charity Navigator–rated nonprofit, ranking in the top 1% of animal welfare organizations nationwide.