Part of every sale through theiHeartDogs store is donated to GreaterGood, which helps support various charities like Rescue Rebuild. Stories like the one below are made possible with your help! Check out all the animals iHeartDogs fans and shoppers like you have helped save here.
In December 2019, a crew with Rescue Rebuild traveled to Georgia. The reason for the visit: build an animal-friendly domestic violence shelter.
Sadly, as Rescue Rebuild writes in their blog, many shelters and temporary homes can’t allow animals. As a result, this leaves abuse survivors with an extremely difficult decision to make. They can either leave their beloved animals behind where they may be subjected to continued abuse, or they can remain in the abusive environment for their animals. Tragically, this happens often.
“Rescue Rebuild and RedRover have partnered on numerous builds like this one, in hopes that one day, all DV shelters will open their doors to both people and their pets together.”
Constructing Pet-Friendly Facilities
The Rescue Rebuild team started with a 20 ft x 30 ft garage. The garage contained a ton of overflow from the shelter’s thrift shop section, so they found a way to store things in one half while using the other half to make a brand new kennel and pet-friendly living room.
“Since the shelter’s main area is not pet-friendly, it is crucial to provide a place for the dogs to live, and a place where the pet owners can spend time and cuddle with their pups.”
The cleaning and basic repair process alone took an entire day. Once they finally completed that first step, construction on the pet-friendly rooms began.
The Rescue Rebuild team constructed four indoor kennels that connected to four outdoor runs via a doggie door for easy access. The living room got a homey look, complete with a couch, artwork, and wall paneling.
In addition, the crew also built an annex capable of housing two people with their animals. These rooms come with cat perches, dog couches, and access to an outdoor play yard.
“Our team gets incredibly motivated on builds like these, where we know we are making such a difference in survivors’ lives. Thank you to Northeast Georgia Council on Domestic Violence for trusting us and allowing us to come and incorporate this pet-friendly addition to your property!”
Thanks to GreaterGood.org and Rescue Rebuild, abuse victims in Georgia now have a welcoming place to take their dogs and cats. Our animals are our family. That’s why these organizations work tirelessly to ensure everyone, animals and people, can get a fresh start.
Shop the iHD Rescue Rebuild Collection to support this important organization. Thank you all for your continued support!
All images courtesy of Rescue Rebuild.
Toledo, United States.