Ahimsa Haven hopes to find home in Ashburnham
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The staff and board members of Ahimsa Haven Animal Rescue are looking to build a new facility in Ashburnham.

The group currently only has a business address in Winchendon and houses all of the animals with foster families until they can be adopted out.

"What we would like to do is build a facility," said Marjorie Twiraga, the group's operations and adoption coordinator.

The goal would be to get enough land that the animals don't become a nuisance to anyone who is abutting the property and that the organization can keep up to 40 dogs and a yet to be determined amount of cats and small animals, Twiraga said.

The group has approached a couple of towns but Ashburnham has given the best reception and is the goal location, Twiraga said.

Town Planner Eric Smith said the group met with the Planning Board during the board's last meeting but no official proposal had been presented yet.

The board would have to approve the site plan for any proposal as it would with any new construction project.

There is still discussion going on between the town and the rescue league between which parcel of land is the best location and what other boards need to be involved.

"Ahimsa Haven was incorporated in 1999 as a nonprofit animal rescue group," according to the group's Web site. "Our mission is to find good homes for abused, abandoned, homeless and unwanted domestic animals."

Twirage said, the group is currently a foster-based rescue, which takes in animals from all over Massachusetts.

"We are limited by how many foster homes we have," she said. "Every year take in more and more. But every year we turn away many."

She said group brings in a mix of animals from a variety of organizations. Many of the animals the group takes in are elderly or have medical conditions.

"It's just difficult for us to turn someone away," Twiraga said. "Everyone deserves a home regardless of age and medical conditions."