When it comes to helping out other rescue groups in the area, Animal Rescue of Tidewater is always willing to lend a hand (or a paw!) ART often combines resources with another local animal rescue, Rainbow Rescue, which works to place dogs in permanent, loving homes in the Hampton Roads area.
“ART has stepped up to help us out when we needed assistance,” said Esther Williams who, together with her husband, started Rainbow Rescue in 2005. “We recently had a hound dog in Isle of Wight that had chemical burns. Rainbow had a foster family lined up, but we had just paid for several medical procedures for other animals and did not have the financial resources to pay for spaying the hound. ART provided the monetary assistance that we needed.” ART has worked with Rainbow Rescue in the past to seek homes for animals in need of foster homes. “It’s nice to know that the groups can call on each other,” Williams noted. “We work together and swap resources. For instance, if one group is in need of a foster home for an animal, we can pool resources to find a foster home.”
Williams explained that when she and her husband were ready to start their own animal rescue group, they attended ART meetings to see how the group operated. “One of our volunteers also volunteered with ART,” Williams said. “We went to a few ART meetings to learn about what they are doing and how they are organized as well as to network. “ART’s assistance has been such a big help for our rescue,” continued Williams. “We are in this to save animals and if even one dog gets a good life, that’s what the rescues are all about.”
For more information about how to donate to the cause of improving and saving the lives of animals or to adopt an animal through ART, please visit the website at www.artanimals.org.