Fido's Landing Dog Rescue Finds Its Forever Home, In Homewood; Fosters Needed

HOMEWOOD, IL — A dog rescue longing to find a home of its own has finally had its wish granted.

Fido's Landing will soon move into the space formerly occupied by South Suburban Humane Society, at 2207 183rd St., in Homewood. It's a fortunate twist of fate that has landed the nonprofit rescue right where they should be, its officials told Patch.

Founded by Tinley Park resident Sarah Montgomery and co-founder Maria Garcia, the nonprofit rescue had previously pursued a lease in Orland Park as recently as January 2025, but that space slipped away from them. The rescue lost approximately $10,500 in funds invested in the space and the move, its Donations Director Laura Hall told Patch.

But when the Homewood location arose, it seemed like an ideal fit.

"I honestly believe things happened the way they were meant to," Hall said. "We have felt so welcomed and supported in the shelter coming there."

The space on 183rd Street became vacant in 2023, when South Suburban Humane Society closed that adoption center, to centralize its operations to its new Matteson building.

"We have one of our managers that works with the fosters, she reached out to a very passionate realtor, the members of the board all came and saw it, and said, 'We see ourselves in this town.'"

The foster-based Fido's Landing had its beginnings as Hello Fido training, which has since re-branded to Prowess K9, Montgomery previously told Patch.

As they built their business and people trusted them with their dogs, some also faced the difficult decision of rehoming them, and turned to the couple for help. Started as Hello Fido in 2018, they re-branded to Fido's Landing in early 2024. Since March 2024, they've helped 269 dogs find new homes. Over the course of 14 years, Montgomery and her husband Shawn have helped between 400 and 500 dogs, she notes.

As they prep to settle in, the foster-based Fido's Landing is urgently looking for fosters to take in some of their current 23 available dogs, for at least a three-week period until its opening in early May. The commitment is on a volunteer basis, and there's a screening process, Hall said. Supplies including crate and food are provided, along with vet care. The application to become a foster is available on the Fido's Landing website, or anyone interested can email Megan@fidoslanding.com or call (708)686-1578.

"We give them everything they need to set them up," she said. "They’re just keeping them safe, feeding them, until they can find homes."

Intakes at Fido's Landing are on a rolling and emergent basis. Recently, they took in a litter of puppies from a farm where their owner had threatened to drown them, she said.

"When they call us, we have transport drivers who go immediately 24/7," Hall said. "We clean them, vet them up, we give them shots, microchip.

"Some of them have never been held by loving human hands before."

Adoptable dogs benefit from being cared for in a foster setting, Hall said. They're given consistent interaction, care, and affection. They're socialized and exposed to stimuli they might encounter in their forever home.

"We are different from other rescues—our pups when they go to their new homes, they’re leash-trained, they’ve been handled," she said. "They (owners) get healthy dogs, they get dogs that are socialized."

The rescue works with area businesses, special events, and more to feature their adoptable pets. Recently, their pups made an appearance at Homewood's Indoor Farmers Market.

They were a hit, Hall said, and she was already feeling the love from Homewood.

"We are happy to get our name out," she said. "We are always looking for volunteers. It was just amazing to see that many people reaching out and making us part of the Homewood community."

Hall's first experience with Fido's was through two adoptions of her own last summer, she told Patch. After encountering an adoption event on a fluke—they turned an opposite direction of their original destination—they adopted a male German Shepard from a litter brought up from Texas. When they heard his sister had not yet been adopted, they went back for her, too.

"For me, the experience was so different," she said. " I cannot say enough about the experience we had adopting our dogs."

Since then, she's become more involved in the organization.

"For me, it’s amazing to see what they give back to the community," she said. "They give so much back, it’s amazing for me to be part of it."

As they prep the facility for their move-in, they aim to raise $8,500 dollars for needed repairs and equipment. Donations can be made through Venmo, Zelle or PayPal—all information is available on their website.

They're also looking for volunteers to help with cleaning, painting, landscaping, garbage removal, and unpacking. They can be reached at (708)686-1578, or staff@fidoslanding.com, or via their Facebook page.

A soft opening is planned for Sunday, May 4, from 12 to 7 p.m.