Friends for Life

Who needs 101 Dalmatians, when you have 110 cats thriving in a no-kill animalshelter?

Don Sanders and Salise Shuttlesworth visit with the temporary residents ofFriends for Life in the Heights.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Even with more than 100 cats in the 3,000-square-foot space, there seems to beplenty of room for all.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
The space more resembles an art gallery than an animal shelter.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
The cats have made themselves right at home in the executive director's office.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Nancy Kinder gets friendly with one of the lovable felines.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
"Take me home," he seemed to say.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
This cat purred throughout our visit.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
Don and Chris Sanders are keen supporters of the shelter and donated funds forthe "kitty lounge."
Photo by Shelby Hodge

As we sat having lunch at Shade with Friends for Life executive director Salise Shuttlesworth, we could see across the patio to cats frolicking in the window of the animal shelter located next door to the popular Heights eatery.

"It's more like an art gallery than an animal shelter," she explained.

Indeed, right there on bustling 19th Street in a typical Heights storefront, Friends for Life is raising the bar for animal shelters, first by adhering to a no-kill policy (the only one in Houston) and second by creating an environment so pleasant and fresh as to inspire even the most reluctant to consider pet adoption.

Educated as an attorney, Shuttlesworth sold her legal practice and founded the non-profit Friends for Life in 2002. But it took two years of in-depth research and fundraising before the first animals were accepted. Today, the shelter is actively saving the lives of tens of thousands of cats and dogs each year.

Shuttlesworth said over lunch that in 2010, 500 animals were adopted from the shelter which was also involved in saving close to 40,000 animals through the Thinking Outside the Shelter program. In many cases, pet owners were aided in keeping their pets through foster care, through pet food donations and donated veterinary services for those without means.

The no-kill policy and the sophisticated approach to the concept of animal shelters attracted Chris and Don Sanders, huge animal fans who have more than a few felines in their family, seven at the height of their indulgence. Chris volunteers at Friends for Life daily and sells her line of silver jewelry there with all proceeds donated to the non-profit. Don has committed to personally fund a new state-of-the-art shelter that he estimates will cost between $3 and $5 million. He is currently looking for property.

Over the lunch with Shuttlesworth, Chris and animal lover Nancy Kinder, Don outlined his plans. He's already auctioned off part of his valuable watch collection through Christie's and plans to auction some of his art in the next few months. Money from both is earmarked for the Friends for Life building. Last spring, the couple underwrote all expenses for the shelter's fundraiser last spring.

"I got to thinking that I'm not going to live forever (Sanders turns 75 in June)," he said in an earlier conversation. "At the end of my life, I'd much rather leave to posterity one of the best animal shelters in the country than a watch collection or an art collection."

When Sanders and Shuttlesworth achieve this world-class animal shelter, Sanders hopes that, "In a way it forces the other shelters to look at what we're doing and say maybe there's a better way we can do this."

Currently, Friends for Life houses only cats in overnight accommodations. Dogs, which are housed in foster homes, are in the shelter on weekends for adoption.

The place is worth a visit just for the experience if not to take home a snuggly pet. Artful photographs of cats and dogs saved by Friends for Life line one wall while whimsical paintings line the others. Individuals with allergies to cats best stay away. The felines are crawling everywhere, getting along amazingly well and presenting very friendly and loving personalities.

Friends for Life operations are funded by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

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don't get burned

Talented performers fire up new store and training facility in Houston

Supplies for fire performances to open in Houston in 2025.

Photo by Matt Hellman

Kira Bailey performs with fire fingers.

Have you ever wanted to juggle, swallow, or dance with fire? Houston will soon be home for a place that sells the gear and offers lessons in that art.

Chris and Kira Bailey of the Solar Rain Performance Troupe have been firebending for audiences for more than a decade, as well as running their own online store for tools of the trade, TheOddPropShop. In 2025, they plan to open a combination storefront and workshop for Houstonians to enter and practice the fiery arts.

"Having a physical location allows us to connect with our customers on a more personal level that can’t be replicated online — which is especially important for building props that performers must trust with their lives," the Baileys wrote in an email. "Because of that, we’re building this workshop to become a space to create and test products, and invite our customers in when they want custom-made props. We go through a long trial-and-error with each of our new ideas, often using affordable items from Temu to build our prototypes, and then improve our designs until they’re ready to sell."

The space will be located in Kemah and is scheduled to open in the second half of the year. It will be a combination storefront, living space, and workshop area that will serve aspiring fire performers in a variety of ways. The Baileys will sell their signature fire bubblers, fire jump ropes, and sun wheels that are perfect for both professionals and hobbyists.

The brick-and-mortar OddPropShop will serve as a hub for greater Houston's performance community. Interested first timers will be able to take classes, while established performers can try out new routines and equipment. According to the couple, Houston is home to a significant community of fire artists.

"We wanted to be in a city that not only has a great arts scene and supportive creative community, but is also in a location where we could quickly and easily get the materials we needed to build our props," the Baileys wrote. "Houston was the only place that checked all those boxes. We were also personally drawn to Houston because many of our friends and fellow performers live in the city. In many ways, Houston already felt like home."

In addition to the tools of the fire trade, TheOddPropShop will sell costumes and accessories such as leather and stone jewelry. These small pieces of flair help add to the pagan ambience of the overall fire package.

performing-arts shopping fire performers