I have had
dogs my whole life, and too many to list them all here: a malamute, an Irish wolfhound, an airdale, a New Foundland…even
a mutt! But this time, when the day came
for my family to get a new dog to brighten our lives, I was determined to
rescue one.
My husband
was reluctant to go that route, and with good reason. We had rescued a boxer
mix, Lady, once before but it was a terrible experience. She had been so abused by her prior owner we
just couldn’t keep her, and giving her back to the shelter broke our hearts. I knew, though,
that so many people had great success with their rescues and I wanted to be one
of them. Great, lovable pets with no one
to love them ~ we could change that.
Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary is recognized within the local community, nationwide and around the
world, as a leader in developing alliances to end the killing of adoptable
animals and promoting the humane treatment of animals.
Located in NY’s Catskill Mountains, it is "one of the oldest
no-kill organizations” in the country, and saved more than
1,000 animals last year alone. Last fall they held an adoption event in Mt. Kisco,
NY, and as soon as I heard about it, I was determined for us to go and see what it was all about. It was there my family met Violet.
6 months
old. A beagle-Jack Russel mix. Sweet. Socialized. Adorable.
Had it not been
for Pets Alive, she, like more than 5 million animals a year, would have died
in the overcrowded kill shelter from which she came.
Instead, she
is now 9 months old, sweet, socialized, adorable and also happy, housebroken, loving
and sleeping on the foot of my son’s bed each night. We saved her life and she enhanced ours. You, too, can have this experience.
For more
information about Pets Alive call (845) 386-9738, click the link above or email them to volunteer at
volunteers@petsalive.com. Start the new year right ~ help save a life!
