Saving dogs in life-threatening situations is the goal of Greenmore Farm Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization based in southern Chester County. All rescued dogs are provided with food, shelter and health care until they are adopted into permanent homes.
Julia Altman founded the rescue on the family farm in West Grove in 2010. "My wife has always been interested in animal welfare," explained Altman's husband, Jack Merritt, volunteer director of donor relations. "Shortly after buying the property, she started a little home-based rescue with a handful of dogs. It started very small. She had two or three dogs, and after a year or so, it kept growing organically. We built a small climate-controlled kennel with eight runs on our property in 2012."
"In 2015, we hired some help and got volunteers and hit a milestone of 1,500 lives saved in those first five years," he added.
Merritt explained that dogs that come to the rescue are mostly from the southern states, including Kentucky and West Virginia, and throughout the Appalachian region. "Almost all animals come from high-kill shelters where the dogs are overbred and (the rescues) are underfunded and they don't have spay and neuter (programs). They get so overfull that they put dogs to sleep to make space. Kind-hearted people in those areas comb the shelters for dogs that are getting ready to be put to sleep."
Once dogs are located, they become the responsibility of Greenmore Farm Animal Rescue. "We get them vetted and arrange for transport to Pennsylvania, which is one of our biggest expenses," noted Merritt. "In the very beginning, volunteer transporters moved dogs by car. As we got bigger and the industry has changed, there are people who do paid transport. We have people who bring 10 or 15 dogs at a time in a rented van."
Those interested in adopting a dog must complete an application. If they currently own a dog, prospective adoptees must bring the animal to a meet-and-greet. "Our (goal) is to get them what we call 'furever' homes," said Merritt. "We get them in, get them healthy, socialized and post them on social media like petfinder.com." Adoptable pets can also be viewed at http://www.facebook.com/greenmorefarm.
In addition to searching for adoptive families, the rescue is in need of foster families and volunteers. "Every dog gets walked around the perimeter of the farm. That has to be done three times a day for every dog," said Merritt. "We have a puppy room (because the puppies) have to be nurtured and cuddled and played with. The volunteers have to clean the crates, but they sit on the floor with a lap full of puppies for an hour."
All the efforts have allowed the rescue to save the lives of 4,000 dogs as of October 2022. "Although we in the rescue community see a lot of heartbreaking stuff every day, each time we are able to place one of these beautiful dogs in their furever home, it's all worthwhile," said Altman, noting that those who adopt a loving pet benefit as well. "We are actually saving people, one dog at a time."
For more information about Greenmore Farm, located at 246 Clonmell Upland Road, West Grove, visit the previously mentioned Facebook page or http://www.greenmorerescue.org.
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