Meet Andrew Chiu

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrew Chiu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Andrew, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I am an introvert, and have always felt more comfortable around dogs than people. That’s why I have volunteered at animal shelters for years. I knew that while I had a safe and comfortable career in Corporate IT, my passion was with working with dogs and that’s what I set out to do… build enough passive income to retire from the Corporate world and start my own non-profit sanctuary for senior dogs.
I started out investing in one single family home as a rental, saving the rent and selling the property for a profit a couple years later and buying two rental properties. Then saving the rents on those properties, selling them for a profit after a couple years and buying four properties, etc. I then moved to multi-unit properties, and eventually to a self-storage facility.
Last year, I was able to hit the number I had in mind of monthly rental income I would need in order to retire from my Corporate job and start my dream which I have done: Furever Nevada Foundation. We rescue senior dogs in southern Nevada, most of whom are committed for euthanasia. We give them shelter, medical attention, training and find loving homes for them.
Every day I get to wake up and try to help save more dogs, which is my true purpose in life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am the founder of Furever Nevada Foundation. We are a non-profit sanctuary for neglected senior dogs in southern Nevada. We have a 4-acre property in Pahrump where we take in senior dogs that are committed for euthanasia. We take care of their medical, food and health needs and supply training and housing to try to set them up for success to be fostered or adopted into a loving home.
We opened January 2024 and have currently helped save over 140 dogs. Our sanctuary can house up to 20-25 dogs and we also rescue and then foster out anywhere from 40-50+ dogs as well.
We have regular foster and adoption events and fundraisers so please check out our website and IG for more information!
Website: https://www.furevernv.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/furevernevada/

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Volunteering at a city rescue for years before starting my own non-profit was invaluable for multiple reasons: Working with dogs of all sizes and breeds and personalities gave me hands-on experience on working with all types of dogs. Working with 30-40 dogs in a 6 hour shift is very different from owning one or two dogs your entire life. Setting up relationships in the local animal rescue world was equally important.

2. Having adequate financial resources to sustain the difficult times. I’m a pragmatic person, and I knew that while chasing my dreams when I was young and had no money would have been tempting, I wanted to persevere and be able to handle any emergencies or big financial strains without having to give up on my dream. I made sure I was making enough money through passive channels before starting my dream.

3. Compartmentalizing. There are all kinds of books on starting your own business, but literally zero books on how to start and run your own senior dog sanctuary. The problems and issues are/were massive and I would have been overwhelmed if I was looking at it from a birds-eye view. Instead, I compartmentalized each day and week into smaller problems to tackle. Every day, I would try to solve one small issue. When you start stacking those days, and those days turn into weeks and months, then all of a sudden, you step back, and realize that you’re doing this and it’s running and successful and it’s an amazing feeling.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I would love to collaborate with former military veterans. I feel like it’s a near perfect match to set up those who are possibly suffering from trauma and PTSD with senior dogs who are just looking for affection and someone to love. I would also like to work with the retired/senior community.
Anyone who would like to possibly collaborate can contact me at the following link: https://www.furevernv.com/contact-us

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.furevernv.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/furevernevada/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Furever-Nevada-61556812134439/

Image Credits

Furever Nevada