BOISE, IDAHO — Lake Lowell Animal Rescue has been saving our furry little friends for five years now, but their selfless job seems to just be getting more demanding all the time. Despite new partnerships to help them rescue a few more animals, your help could certainly make a difference.
As we've learned from past stories, Lake Lowell Animal Rescue has an interesting backstory.
"It was sort of an accident, I would say," said Lake Lowell Animal Rescue Founder and Director Melissa Blackmer.
Melissa Blackmer had moved near Lake Lowell and would often see several former pets left to fend for their lives.
"I thought, well, I don't think I can make much of a dent, but let's just try to help a few that I can," said Blackmer.
Fast forward five years, and that inkling to help has turned into a part-time job with the hours of two or three full-time jobs.
"Had some donors come on board, had the property donated to the rescue where we are which is amazing, started getting volunteers, and it just sort of turned into this," said Blackmer.
Her background certainly fit her big heart.
"And I'm a vet tech too so the medical part I feel like we do a pretty good job," said Blackmer.
But despite the qualifications and a few extra volunteers, over the years, the number of animals they were asked to take in started increasing, eventually from beyond the Treasure Valley region.
"Areas like New Mexico, or Louisiana, Alabama, where the number of, especially dogs, is just astronomical," said Blackmer.
The reason? Unlike those areas, the shelters in our area have no-kill shelters.
"We get a lot of requests, you know, really urgent requests, like, can you please take these animals or the outcome won't be very good," confessed Blackmer.
Those animals are flown in by a group called Greater Good Charities, and along with them, Lake Lowell Animal Rescue has partnered with Petsmart and several local shelters to help as many pets as possible, but it seems like never-ending mission.
"Honestly we get so many intake requests, we can't even get back to them all. Like, I can't even answer all of the messages and phone calls and emails begging us to take cats they've found or they're moving and they can't take it," said Blackmer.
It's a stressful and selfless job having saved thousands of animal's lives, but Melissa and her crew know that if they don't do it, there might not be anyone else that steps up.
"There are days when I'm like why am I doing this? I should do something less stressful. But it's hard when you look in the faces of the animals you have saved and think if our group wasn't here, all these animals probably wouldn't be here," said Blackmer.
With all that being said, it goes without saying that Lake Lowell Animal Rescue could use your help if you're able. Whether it's volunteering your time, donations, fostering, or of course, adopting one of the many animals that they and other shelters across the Valley are currently holding. With so many new residents finding their forever homes here in Idaho, you can help one of hundreds of these furry friends find theirs too. For more information, you can find them at www.lakelowellanimalrescue.org.
