By Ayana Stewart
Jane Robb sits in a PetSmart store next to a cage filled with dogs up for adoption. A homemade photo book sits in her lap, filled with pictures of adopted dogs and their families. Her eyes are filled with emotion as she flips through and reminiscences.
“This one died of a brain tumor.”
“Those two were blind.”
“These people have adopted four dogs from us.”
Robb is a part of Small Dog Rescue, a rescue group that specializes in saving abandoned animals. Robb has been involved with animal rescue for 15 years but has been taking in disadvantaged animals since she can remember.
“It’s born in you,” she said. “Some people love children. I’ve always loved animals.”
Jane and her husband, Hugh, have dedicated their lives to finding neglected dogs loving homes. They spend many weekends holding open adoptions at PetSmart stores in the area. Unlike many shelters, Small Dog Rescue doesn’t euthanize.
“What doesn’t get adopted, we keep,” she explains.
While the Robbs have impacted countless animals, their influence extends beyond dogs. Monica Pollan was new to the Bay area when she read an article in the newspaper about high euthanasia rates in animal shelters and was moved to action.
“I was overwhelmed with sadness and anger,” Pollan said. “I met Jane and Hugh and saw what fabulous, wonderful, kind, selfless people they are. I have three dogs and they’re all rescue dogs. It’s shameful what goes on (in some shelters). These are the lucky ones. Jane and Hugh rescue these animals out of the jaws of death.”
Some of the stories that Jane shares are heartwarming. “When we bathed one dog, the water ran blood from her fleas. She was 6 years old and blind. We were at a PetSmart store in Wesley Chapel and a man that had just lost his dog saw her and fell in love.”
Other stories are heartbreaking. Jane points to a little black and white dog that is sitting quietly in her cage. “Susie is a 3-year-old Shiatsu who can’t bark because the breeder cut her vocal cords. The breeder had 19 dogs and didn’t want to hear any of them bark so all of their vocal cords were cut. We’ve had dogs found at elementary schools, outside of a pharmacy on the street.”
Pollan is enraged over the cruelty that some of the dogs have endured. “There are a lot of petitions that push legislation to stop puppy mills because the animals have no voice. We need tighter restrictions and we need to stop cutting funding.”
Along with Small Dog Rescue, several other animal rescue groups spend their weekends at PetSmart stores in the area. St. Francis Society Animal Rescue is one of them.
Jim Martinelli is the adoption center coordinator with St. Francis, an organization that helps abandoned and abused dogs and cats. “It’s time consuming but very rewarding,” he said. “It’s a labor of love. It feels good to get them in homes and raise awareness.”
“We can track adoptions with the economy. When the economy is doing well, adoptions go up. When the economy goes down, so does the adoption rate,” he said.
Jane agrees. “We usually keep the dogs a few weeks, but in the recession, it’s been a lot longer. We’ve only had three adoptions this year.”
Community Concern for Animals (CCFA) is another organization that focuses on saving animals and holds adoptions at area pet stores.
“We do all breed rescues from newborn puppies to senior dogs,” said volunteer Tara Pisano. There’s definitely need for a lot of rescue. We’re actually getting ready to help the displaced animals in Alabama (from the April tornado),” she said.
For these volunteers, raising awareness and creating happy endings for animals that have had hard lives is enough.
Pollan succinctly summed up the mission of those involved with animal rescue groups. “If one person gets together with another person and is aware, it can make a difference.”
How to help
For more information about Small Dog Rescue, call (813) 237-1401.
For more information about St. Francis, call (813) 830-7251.
For more information about Community Concern for Animals, contact
