Bottle Babies Rescue has a unique mission: caring for newborn and infant kittens and puppies, as well as orphaned dogs and cats of all ages.
For Ernie Harwood, District Leader of PetSmart in south Michigan, choosing the local animal rescue to receive a PetSmart Charities grant was an easy decision.
“They do a ton of charity work and work to save as many lives as possible across all animals,” say Harwood.
The goal of Bottle Babies Rescue is to save hundreds of displaced animals, rehabilitate them and find them loving, forever homes.
Community Support Is Vital
But to make that goal a reality, the organization needs the support of donors. According to Krista Nealy, CEO and Executive Director of Bottle Babies Rescue, one of the biggest expenses they face is veterinary care.
“The vetting of sick animals is our biggest challenge,” she says. “We are constantly fundraising, and community support and grant requests are imperative in ensuring our foster animals receive all the care they require.”
Grants like the PetSmart Charities grant allow them to continue to treat animals and expand their efforts. Recently, the organization purchased a transport van and brought in out-of-state animals that needed help.
Forging Forever Bonds
Nealy says the organization has saved the lives of many pets, and every one of them has a special place in her heart. But one story, in particular, stands out to her as an example of Bottle Babies Rescue’s work.
They rescued a two-year-old terrier from a kill shelter this past year. While she was a sweet dog and had several meet and greets, none of them turned into an adoption.
Then one day, the organization got an email from a woman looking for a dog to be trained as a service animal for her husband, a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.
When the couple came to meet the dog, she immediately began licking and cuddling with the man, showing an immediate connection. The couple finalized the adoption that very day.
“A bond was made that day, two lives were saved that day, and a beautiful story was unfolded,” said Nealy. “It gives all of us at Bottle babies Rescue the strength and the will to keep going for the countless others that may need it!”
