Community Corner
Young At Heart To Rescue More Than a Dozen Dogs, Cats
Young at Heart Pet Rescue is planning to save more than a dozen dogs and cats today.
Old dogs really can learn new tricks. Old cats too.
That’s the philosophy of Dawn Kemper, who is the Executive Director of Young at Heart Pet Rescue, a nonprofit organization that rescues and rehomes dogs and cats over the age of five.
“They absolutely can,” Kemper said. “Age is just a number.”
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Kemper and her group are making a big push Monday, June 20. Young at Heart will save more than a dozen dogs and cats at the Animal Welfare League in Chicago. Because of their age, those dogs and cats have been slated for euthanasia.
“It is our biggest rescue ever,” Kemper said. “Our current foster families have agreed to take in extra pets. We have also had some new people step up to volunteer as foster families as well.”
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Kemper started her group six years ago after realizing there was no place for older dogs and cats.
“They are the hardest to adopt,” Kemper said. “When people go to a shelter they want an animal that is housebroken and calm and friendly. Then they find out the dog or cat’s age and they say it is too old. So these shelters have a difficult time adopting out older pets. That’s where we come in.”
Kemper’s group, which has saved in excess of 400 dogs and cats, has help from the Trio Animal Foundation, Best Friends Pet Care and the Arlington Heights Animal Hospital, to make them ready for adoption.
Young at Heart then picks up the older pets from shelters such as the Animal Welfare League in Chicago. The pet then receives all its shots and other medical treatment if necessary. The pet is groomed and given to a foster family until it is adopted.
That is what happened to a 10-year old poodle mix that Kemper and her group rescued in February of 2010. The dog, named Medusa at the time because of all of its matted hair, needed the full treatment from Kemper’s group. The dog was adopted two months later by a family in Lake In the Hills and renamed Bitsy.
“She looks great now,” Kemper said. “And her new family is very happy with her.”
Young at Heart does not accept pets from the public. They will assist those who have senior pets in rehoming those animals. For information on becoming a foster family or adopting one of the new pets, go to www.yahpetrescue.com or call 847-529-2025.
