Today we’d like to introduce you to Arati Shah.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Arati. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For many years, I volunteered at one of Houston’s most respected animal shelters. It’s actually where I became a foster failure and adopted my first fur-baby, Jax (~2.14.09 – 6.16.17).
A few years into volunteering at the shelter my mother and I were diagnosed with breast cancer so I had to take a step back from my regular volunteer efforts. During that time I came across a few emergency cases of dogs, on social media, that needed to be taken off the streets immediately due to severe injuries or illnesses. I would post for help and would be overwhelmed by the number of people that wanted to help but didn’t know how. I would ask for donations and they’d poured in, I’d ask for fosters, and although this was a bit more challenging, eventually someone would volunteer. My page became a hub for information and I was able to help by connecting the right people to one another. One person wanted to donate money to cover the vet bills, another wanted to help nurse the pup back to health, someone else was willing to help take pictures so we could promote them and find the perfect forever home. With all the right wheels in motion, I was able to facilitate adoptions from the comfort of my own home. But most importantly, I gave people the ability to help in a way that made sense for them.
This is how Love And Rescue was born. The idea came by realizing that everyone has a different way of helping and if you put those ways together, you can help save more lives and get more animals into permanent homes. Between my paying job and my treatments, I started a 501c3 to make things official. It was not an easy task, but I had a lot of help and encouragement from family and friends, some of who are now part of our volunteer staff.
I have been humbled by the people who have donated blindly, offered up hours of their time, and opened the door to their homes. Love And Rescue isn’t just my organization, it is OURS. The abused, starved, neglected, and the homeless animal population is a problem that will only be solved by coming together as a community.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When we first started, our friends and family were very excited to help, and they still do but life gets busy and finding people to volunteer regularly can often be a struggle. We are extremely thankful for those that help us when they can because without fosters and volunteers we’d just become a team of rescue animal hoarders.
Love And Rescue covers all the medical and general expenses for our rescues in hopes to help with the financial burden of fostering. However, it still takes time, effort, patience, and a lot of love to be a good foster parent. We also host adoption days once a month and try to break up the day into two, 2.5-hour shifts so that people can come help out and still make the most of their day. Our adoption days are extremely important as they give our animals the opportunity to shine. Although pictures on social media are helpful, there’s nothing like meeting them in person.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Love And Rescue story. Tell us more about the business.
We are an animal rescue in Houston, TX, one of the cities with the biggest stray animal population. Our two main goals are 1) to help stray and injured animals get adopted into good forever homes 2) educate others on the importance of spay/neuter and adoption. I am extremely proud of my team and the thorough work they do in their spare time. No one gets paid and often being a part of the “staff” can be several hours of work a week at any given time. We are not breed specific or animal species, we will take in any dog with any injury or issue. Got a goat that needs a home, we can help! Got an injured bird, we can help! However, as you can see, the majority of animals we help are dogs.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m not much on luck. I’m a big believer in karma and simply doing what’s right. Our staff is always doing what’s right for our animals and it shows, and I think that is what has brought us the success we’ve had.
Pricing:
- Cost to foster $0
- Adoption Fee (covers all vetting spay/neuter) $150
Contact Info:
- Website: www.loveandrescue.com
- Email: admin@loveandrescue.com
- Instagram: @love.and.rescue
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loveandrescue/
- Twitter: @loveandrescue
Image Credit:
Hershey Juneja Photography
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