07/07/2024
To our GARD FAMILY:
On July 15th, 2021, our director lost her husband unexpectedly and we lost GARD’s backbone. Phil was the driving force behind all of the day to day maintenance for our shelter. His loss has been felt every day since. From kennel repairs, fencing issues, computer problems, building maintenance, and groundskeeping….Phil did it all.
We’ve tried so hard to keep this shelter up but this property is massive. The shelter itself is about 15 acres with multiple buildings and kennels. We are one of the largest facilities in this area and at any given time, we are always running at capacity. Then there is another 35 acres of forest land to contend with. A daunting task for 1 woman and a few kennel workers. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to see it, does it make a noise? We aren’t sure. But what we do know is that when that tree falls, someone has to be able to cut it up and move the pieces. Maintaining a property this large has gotten to be too much for us.
We have endured 3 years of hard physical labor, a recession, a global pandemic, dog food shortages, dwindling adoptions, a tornado, too many owner surrender requests, and so many homeless animals in need. We’ve given everything we have and still come up short. The monthly expenses to operate this shelter are staggering. We receive no federal or state funding. We have no help from our local animal control agency, even when dogs are abandoned in our driveway.
At this time we’ve made the necessary decision to put this property up for sale. With the Hyundai manufacturing plant being constructed less than 10 miles from our shelter, our property value has increased. Our director is purposefully seeking and reviewing offers.
So what does this mean for GARD? We are actively seeking help trying to place about 50 dogs with other rescue groups. Transports to northern rescues is something we can also consider. We have so many wonderful dogs that just need a chance. We will also be looking for a smaller piece of property, a little further out, and not in Bryan County. GARD IS NOT CLOSING. We just need something a little more manageable and we need to downsize the number of dogs we are able to care for.
We’ve always been tremendously grateful for our GARD family. There is no way we could have saved so many animals over the last 15 years without the help of our supporters. We hope you continue to support us with this new chapter we are beginning. We understand there will be questions and concerns. We just hope that you will all put yourselves in our shoes and know that this wasn’t an easy or quick decision.
Sharing this post with your friends, family and other rescue groups would be incredibly appreciated.
We are still open for adoptions during the week as well.