Rock star sees new beginnings for local animal shelter
From the Times Herald-Record, April 11, 2007,
By Kristina Wells
Photo of Rob Thomas courtesy of Times Herald RecordTown of Wallkill — 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 an animal rescue organization has 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, is managing Pets Alive for the next three months, after which Pets Alive board members will decide what to do. Best Friends 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. The Baileys said they canceled a planned trip to the state of Florida, moved their camper onto the Pets Alive property and did they best they could, spending $10,000 of their own money for emergency veterinarian bills.
"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.
Vet bills for the Pets Alive animals are expected to exceed $150,000, said Patty Hegwood, the Best Friends clinic manager who is overseeing the sanctuary. And as the dogs and cats are cleared and healthy, they are being adopted — about 10 so far, including two disabled dogs with no use of their legs that use carts to get around. Volunteers found more than 300 outstanding adoption applications at the Wallkill facility. They are going through the applications now.
No one disputes that Whalen meant well. They agree that her cause is a noble one and should continue in her stead.
"Everybody is getting the sun on their face," Hegwood says looking around the property and smiling.
reprinted from the Times Herald Record.