The Little Guild of Saint Francis for the Welfare of Animals, Inc. was organized in 1960 when Muriel Alvord Ward and Eleanora Kleinschmidt developed a plan to alleviate the plight of homeless pets. In 1963 gifts from the Colonel and Mrs. Lee Garnet Day and other friends of animals made it possible to lease a permanent shelter space for dogs and cats in West Cornwall.

Unclaimed stray and abandoned dogs are referred to the Little Guild by the Animal Control Officers of all the towns in northwest Connecticut. Stray and abandoned cats come to us from the people of Litchfield County who find and rescue them. At the shelter, the animals are groomed, fed nutritous meals, inoculated and treated by a veterinarian. At the appropiate age the animals are spayed or neutered. While hundreds of pets are adopted each year, our policy of keeping animals until a home is found for them means that the Little Guild cares for some animlas for months or even years.

1989 the Little Guild went from leasing space to owning its own permanent shelter located on Rt. 128 in West Cornwall. The 3,000 square foot facility accommodated 15 dogs and 35 cats in separate quarters, with an additional area reserved for puppies and kittens. It included 1062 square feet of inside runs, 950 square feet of outdoor runs and 960 square feet of support facilities. In 1996 an outdoor dog exercise yard was added to the facility consisiting of 4000 square feet and surrounded by a 6 foot chain link fence. The large run allows a dog ample space in which to run and play. In 2003 renovations were made which included an enlarged lobby area, a new medical room, 2 quarantine rooms for the cats, radiant heat in the kennel floors, a room for dog training and assessments, a garage with storage space so we can buy supplies in bulk, and a dog "real life room". The real life room is furnished like a living room and is used as a place for adopters to meet their dogs in a setting that is soft and more like a home than a noisy kennel.