Rock star sees new beginnings for local animal shelter.
Helping Pets Alive
By Kristina Wells of the Times Herald-Record Photo of Rob Thomas courtesy of Times Herald Record
Wallkill, NY — As Sara Whalen's hold on life slipped away, so did living conditions for the hundreds of animals at her Pets Alive sanctuary.Volunteers were shocked to find dogs confined to dark, unheated kennels with no access to dog runs.
"I cried for two days when I saw the kennel," says Pets Alive volunteer Tom Bailey.
Other animals showed signs of neglect, ranging from bad teeth to worms to malnourishment.
Now The Best Friends rapid response team is in action again! This time it’s at the Pets Alive sanctuary outside of New York City. They stepped in to care for more than 500 animals that were at the no-kill sanctuary when Whalen died of cancer March 19.
Best Friends Animal Society, based in Utah, and has done animal rescue missions in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina and in Lebanon during the conflict with Israel.
No one knew just how bad it got at the Derby Road facility as more animals came in, fewer were adopted out and Whalen's illness became worse.
Tom Bailey with his wife, Nancy, tried to care for the animals from January until Best Friends came in March at the behest of the Pets Alive board of directors. "This place was a disaster," Tom Bailey said.
Not anymore. Dogs are gradually moving from indoor kennels to outdoor playpens. The lone emu will be moved to a better location later this week. And the carriage horses, rescued from certain slaughter post-retirement from a life on the New York City streets, are roaming in better pastures.
"This is like Disneyland for them," said Rob Thomas, frontman for the rock band Matchbox Twenty, as he surveyed the new outdoor homes for the dogs yesterday. "This is just the beginning." Thomas and his wife, Marisol, are longtime Pets Alive supporters and contributors. The couple said they had no idea the conditions had deteriorated over the years."She was a woman that had good intentions, but couldn't handle it on her own," said Marisol Thomas as she nuzzled Lacey, a pit bull mix.
Donations are critical. The animals need all the help they can get. Your donation, large or small, will make all the difference. When our first team arrived, they were greeted like the proverbial cavalry to the rescue! It was so encouraging.
Pets Alive means so much to the animals who live there, the people who have worked there, and the whole region that it has supported. Together, we can make it all worthwhile...and maybe even give it a whole new future, too. Please join us with your support.
And thank you as always for caring.
And thank you as always for caring.
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