Most of you know that one of my greatest passions in life is to help save the lives of homeless pups in North Carolina. It all began with that one trip to Montgomery County, where I saw the despair and helplessness at that rural shelter. That is the trip that led me to my passion, as I delivered puppies to Molly at Saving Grace, one Saturday five years ago in October. Over the years, Molly has taken in thousands of homeless dogs from all over North Carolina, as well as dogs from hurricane struck countries outside of the greater US. I cannot count the times over the past five years, that I have reached out to Molly to “please take some more dogs from Montgomery,” and she has truly been a blessing by taking in puppies, dogs, pregnant and nursing mama dogs, just from this one county alone.
Over these past five years, I’ve witnessed the evolution of Saving Grace, with new programs and continued expansion. For example, Foster Weekends (now known as Host Weekend), a program where people in our community can bring a Saving Grace dog home for the weekend, was once a shoestring concept that happened once a month. This program has grown into a weekly program, where pups in the rescue get a chance to decompress and to have the opportunity to experience first-hand, what it's like to live inside a home for a weekend with a family.
The numbers tell the story, as in 2018, 2400 dogs were adopted out of the program, and this year the goal is to adopt out 2900 dogs. What a wonderful endeavor for those dogs lucky enough to come into this rescue, to receive life-saving immunizations and veterinary care (so many times, this being their first touchpoint with a vet), and to then find themselves with their own furever family, as opposed to possibly spending the rest of their lives as outside dogs, or chained to a stake, with the sole purpose of just being a watch dog or even being euthanized.
Earlier this year, a fundraising campaign – Raise the Ruff – was kicked off to raise funds for upgrades and for a new building to house dogs. However, Wake County has mandated that specific renovations take place before year-end (2019), and these renovations must be completed by the end of December 2019, in order for Saving Grace to continue to operate. Saving Grace has been tasked to raise around $100,000 by the end of November, in order to achieve this goal. Please consider making a donation to this worthy cause, as without your support, these lifesaving efforts may be at risk.