Pet rescue built by care and hard work of volunteers
A local pet rescue that originally formed at a lunch date between three concerned animal lovers has grown into a far-reaching nonprofit that celebrates its 20th anniversary this month.
Homeward Bound Pet Rescue started over a chicken salad sandwich, confirmed Linnea Hansen, who, along with fellow volunteers Carol Merten and Lillian Stevens, founded the organization in August 2000.
“Lillian was instrumental with Gateway Pet Rescue in Blue Ridge and I’d met her there in 1998,” said Hansen. “Gateway was a Fannin County rescue group, but they took animals from Fannin and Gilmer, which did not have a rescue group then. We would set up in front of Ingles in Blue Ridge and all these people would come and surrender their dogs and puppies. They were mainly coming from Gilmer County, so there was a lot of burden being put on the Fannin pet rescue with running animals back and forth.”
The three each put in $500 to get the new pet rescue off the ground and began looking for more volunteers. On Aug. 17, 2000, Homeward Bound elected its first board of directors, of which Hansen was president.
“We sat down and said let’s split off and start something in Gilmer to get the numbers where they need to be. That way, each county can go after what they need, which was a facility,” Hansen remembered. “Once we got started and word got out, people started coming to us and it really took off. In our first year, we rescued 737 animals and adopted (out) 587 of them.”
Overcoming challenges, obstacles
From the start, Homeward Bound has prided itself on being a no-kill pet rescue where dogs and cats remain in care until adopted. Those that aren’t adopted become permanent residents.
“The dogs go pretty quickly and they go to good homes. Cats don’t go as fast as dogs, but we keep them till they find somebody.” shared Becky Larson, who’s volunteered for Homeward Bound since the beginning. “If we can find a foster home, that’s where the animal will go just to get used to a home life because that’s something some of them have never known.”
Hansen remembered the amount of effort and teamwork required to maintain an all-foster home setup the pet rescue had during its first few years.
“The early days were craziness. It was based in foster homes because we did not have a facility then. My house in Cherry Log was the legal site for rescues that was registered with the ag. department From there, they went to foster homes for socializing, weaning or whatever was required,” she said.
“We would put feelers out all over the county and every single day somebody was calling somebody else. We would need something at a foster home or we’d have to inspect a new foster to make sure they could take care of (the animals.) We got so much stuff donated, but we also spent a lot of our own money initially. We needed fencing panels badly and found somebody at a construction site who had all this fencing stacked up. They were done with the site and said, ‘come get it.’ That was our biggest deal, needing fencing.”
To date, the organization has found homes for more than 7,000 abandoned or surrendered animals, noted Larson.
“Originally, people took individual cars down to PetSmart in Kennesaw and we did adoptions there. We eventually got a van and drove to Kennesaw every weekend and set up. We just had dogs at first then, several years later, we started having cats,” she added. “We get dogs from animal shelters including Gilmer and Fannin County and we also get calls from other shelters in this general region. We have people who go to the different shelters and pick up dogs. “
Before moving into an abandoned kennel that was once the Fannin-Gilmer County Humane Society, Homeward Bound operated out of an old chicken house on Old Highway 5 South that owners agreed to let them use, remembered Larson.
Moving to the kennel near the Fannin-Gilmer county line in 2006 increased the nonprofit’s capabilities, as well as the number of animals its all-volunteer staff could take in and adopt out.
“It was abandoned and hadn’t been used for a long time. There was actually a squatter living there (before we moved in). It was very dilapidated and we’ve done a lot of work to it over the years. It’s completely different now than what it was,” Larson said.
The organization has survived numerous challenges and obstacles over two decades, including funding shortages and a decline in membership eight years ago that almost caused it to fold entirely.
“We had a (membership drive) meeting and we just could not believe that the building was full of people. We’ve been doing good ever since, but we always need more volunteers,” said Larson.
Open since 2014, the Paws and Claws Thrift and Gift Store at 240 South Main Street has provided another boost for Homeward Bound in terms of fundraising and exposing the organization to potential volunteers. The thrift store is operated entirely by volunteers and proceeds from its sales directly benefit Homeward Bound, noted Heather Strafer Campbell, the nonprofit’s former president and current grant writer.
“Paws and Claws is now open Wednesday-Saturday, from 10 a.m-4 p.m. Shifts are usually for a morning or an afternoon and people are needed for sales, stocking, inventory and other store-related activities,” Campbell said.
Successful, long-term adoptions are the best case scenario, but the organization will also take back pets if the adopting owner is unable to care for them, explained Larson.
“We tell people in the paperwork that, if for any reason you cannot keep this dog or cat, please contact Homeward Bound,” she said. “We’ve taken back cats and dogs that people had for years because they kept their paperwork. We’ve even gotten calls from other states because our dogs are microchipped. They might give them to so-and-so and that person gives them to so-and-so and we lose track, but our people have driven to get them.”
‘The best and strongest we’ve ever been’
Homeward Bound volunteers no longer have to travel to other counties to hold pet adoptions. Most adoptions are now initiated through the group’s Facebook page and website, HBPR.org.
“I think more people have found out about us or they know people who’ve adopted from us, so they call us first if they’re looking for a certain dog. We’ve had people drive here from other states. They see an animal online and come to meet them. We’ve got dogs who are living in Florida and up north now,” said Larson.
Fran Richardson, another longtime Homeward Bound volunteer, said pet adoptions have actually increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“We’ve always had enough interest, but now we have a crazy amount of interest. I think it’s because more people are at home so they have time to look into it and pursue it. We’re getting lots of applications for dogs. We adopt out more dogs, but we also have cats and kittens and we love to get them adopted out too,”she added.
Richardson has a special distinction among the organization’s long list of helpers.
“I was the first person to ever turn in a litter of puppies to them,” she said. “These three women came toward me as a team and said, ‘OK, we are going to take these puppies, but you need to be a volunteer.’ I still am 20 years later.”
Richardson commended the hard work of the organization’s leaders and her fellow volunteers.
“Oftentimes, the membership has been low and there were a few people who did everything that had to be done. Our membership has increased and we now have more people sharing all the tasks,” she said. “Over the years, we’ve also had many good leaders. Recently, we’ve had board members who, honestly, could be CEOs of about any organization in the country. I see us now as the best and strongest we’ve ever been.”
The organization’s discount spay-neuter certificate program, Spay Ellijay, Neuter Today, will continue this year thanks to a $5,000 pet sterilization grant recently awarded by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
Since that program started in 2017, more than 400 pets have received spay or neuter procedures at a discounted rate and many more were attended to before then via the organization’s other discount spay-neuter efforts, Campbell noted.
Homeward Bound always needs more helping hands. Volunteer opportunities include kennel workers to care for dogs and cats, thrift shop staff, animal foster owners, telephone line volunteers, animal transport and pickup volunteers, various public relations and social media roles and assistance with kennel maintenance and repair projects, Campbell said.
“Whatever time or service people can give us is gratefully accepted and we provide training for anyone who volunteers in any capacity. We are also happy to work with them to accommodate their schedules and interests,” she added.
Hansen, who now lives in Arizona, spoke highly of camaraderie and commitment shown by the pet rescue’s past and present volunteers.
“Homeward Bound has definitely attracted many caring individuals. The people who came together for one cause -— to help rescue dumped and unwanted animals -— was shocking to me. I’m glad they are still going,” she said.
Larson and Richardson shared what’s kept them on the volunteer roll call for 20 years and counting.
“It’s rewarding because I love animals. We get to help animals, but also people who need help with their animals. Whether a stray has shown up at their house or they have animals they need to (surrender). We’ve had homeless people who’ve called. People get into financial trouble and can’t afford to keep their animals or they have to move and they can’t take pets with them,” said Richardson.
“For some reason, I always saw these (abandoned) animals. I’ve rescued them off the side of the road. I’ve rescued puppies from a river and an abandoned house. It used to be awful how many were running around the roads or getting hit (by cars), but I don’t see many of them anymore. I think we’re doing a good job,” said Larson.
“These animals are my heart and it gives me satisfaction to save (them). There are tears and also joy when one finds a new home. It breaks your heart, but you’re so happy for them and you know there are others out there that need homes, too.”