For 20 years, Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary has been a home to countless stray, abandoned and abused animals; a temporary stop on their way to a better life.

But it’s hard to imagine life getting much better for any of the animals who pass through founder Heather Burnett’s Tomball area pet haven.

Located on five acres on KZ Road, just off of Cypress Rosehill Road, Noah’s Ark is a pet paradise even the biblical shepherd himself would approve of. A no-kill “animal sanctuary” funded completely by donations, Noah’s Ark rescues and adopts more than 1,000 animals each year, from the smallest chipmunk to the largest horse.

With the reverence a mother has for her children, Burnett points out her pet projects: a dog whose feet were so damaged they bled constantly, a timid parrot with salty language he picked up at a mechanic’s shop (“Sailor,” as Burnett likes to call him), a horse so emaciated Burnett could place her entire hand between its ribs.

Pictured, Jeff Cadenhead and his son, Matthew, work to build a butterfly garden at Noah's Ark.

Her job, and the job of the dozens of volunteers who are dedicated to Noah’s Ark, is to get these animals back to health, and get them happy.

The “happy” part appears to be the easy task. Burnett’s “cattery” holds a dozen or so felines who appear perfectly content in the air conditioned branch of the home. The “welcome center” is as much a welcoming atmosphere to four-legged mammals as it is to the two-legged kind.

A large open yard houses about a dozen dog kennels, with enough space for even the largest dogs to do more than walk around in monotonous circles. Nearly all the kennels have platforms for the dogs to stand on in the event of a heavy rain.

Near the rear of the facility, local Eagle Scouts constructed and donated a large horse barn, one of several projects throughout Noah’s Ark the Scouts have contributed.

On June 17, more than 20 volunteers from Hewlett-Packard took a break from the technology industry to spend the day chipping in where they could at Noah’s Ark. Burnett directed the HP employees, as well as a dozen or so youth volunteers to various areas around the facility while a few more manned the barbeque grill, cooking up food and serving cold drinks.

Dan Becker with HP explained that each month, all employees are allowed four hours of regular work time to spend volunteering. This month, many from the SH 249 campus took on the task of helping wash cats and dogs, tend to kittens, brush horses, and start work on a butterfly garden.

It’s all part of a grand design that Burnett hopes will not only provide abandoned and abused animals a fitting temporary home, but educate the public on the dangers of animal abuse.

More information about Noah’s Ark, including their wish list and ways to volunteer, is available online at noahsarksanctuary.org.

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