Expanding to Meet the Growing Need

By Mary Christine Kane

The animals need us. That’s why we’ve broken ground on the next chapter for Ruff Start Rescue.

We are expanding by nearly 3,000 square feet to add veterinary equipment, community spaces, animal care rooms and much more. We are growing so we can be there for animals like:

• Fish, the kitten surrendered with a fishhook lodged in her lip.
• a sweet senior Chihuahua with cataracts and missing teeth found wandering alone in the city.
• the scared and under-socialized beagles we welcomed after being rescued from an animal testing facility.

Unfortunately, the daily need from animals just like these is only increasing. We are taking in 10 or more animals daily, and there are many more still waiting for help. Our expansion is an investment in our long-term impact, strengthening our ability to care for animals who need us now and in the years ahead.

We have raised $424,295 toward the project so far, but need your support to reach our goal of $1,000,000.

With your support, here’s what the future of Ruff Start looks like:

More animals served and lives saved. Because sometimes the hurdle to helping more animals is simply space, increasing our footprint will help us serve hundreds more companion animals annually. We will be increasing access to care for both rescue and community animals served by our wellness clinics.

Our office will have more exam rooms and recovery spaces, as well as a new meet and greet area for adopters. For our heartworm positive dogs undergoing treatment, there will be a healing room, helping us save more lives from this fatal disease.

Improved quality of care. By adding advanced medical equipment, such as X-ray and ultrasound machines, we will be able to provide more accurate treatment quickly. Bringing these capabilities in house will also reduce costly outsourcing, allowing us to stretch our funding.

A bigger impact on overpopulation. To further our commitment of ending the cycle of overpopulation, we anticipate 50% more spay/neuter surgeries with our increased capacity.

Reduced stress and improved operations for office cats. Our in-house cats are getting a new cat wing, which will house catios and three new rooms. The extra roaming areas will keep more cats out of cages, while allowing easy access for caretakers. A newly dedicated feline food prep and supply area called The Whisker Café will help caretakers efficiently prepare meals, medication, and supplies, to keep office cats healthy and thriving. We expect these upgrades will help shorten the time cats spend waiting for adoption.

Increased support for community and volunteers. The power of Ruff Start is its volunteers. Our future building includes improved volunteer amenities and a conference room for training and gathering, called the Knowledge Nook. It’s also a place where we can host educational programs, which is key to animal welfare and advocacy. It will give staff, volunteers, and supporters a place to come together, build skills, and strengthen our collective impact. We’ll be expanding parking as well. Our office, which is already bustling, will be even busier given our expanded reach – more parking will be essential.

Help us reach the finish line

We are excited about the coming changes and the bigger impact we’ll make on animal welfare, but we need your help. With your support, we can fully realize our vision. We welcome your donation in any amount and also appreciate donations of time and materials.