Author: Derek Loseke

One dog or cat makes for a sweet Christmas gift, but 69 of them? That’s how many animals an Omaha rescue group took in Wednesday from an Arkansas organization.

Nebraska’s Animal Loving Advocates, or NALA Rescue for short, is putting the animals into foster homes this week, with its next goal to eventually find permanent homes for them.

The Arkansas-based Artemis Project received NALA’s approval and piled a large van high with kennels holding 32 dogs and 37 cats. The Artemis Project is a new organization that has tried to fill a void in Arkansas after the Fort Smith-area humane shelter closed in 2019. The project frequently transports dogs and cats to rescue and shelter groups in other states.

NALA Rescue founder Angie Hospodka said 69 animals is a record intake for her group, which has been around about five years. The organization has 80 volunteers and no paid employees. The rescue group survives on donations and adoption fees.

Some of the cats and all of the dogs have already been distributed to foster homes, Hospodka said. The animals received vaccinations in Arkansas, she said, but the Omaha-area organization is responsible for covering medical assessments, placing microchips in the animals, treating them for fleas and worms, and spaying and neutering those that are old enough for the procedures.

Three dogs have heartworm, and Hospodka said the care the 69 animals will receive from her group will end up costing NALA $15,000 to $20,000.

“All these guys need homes now,” she said. “Like real, forever homes.”

The group’s website is nalarescue.org.

Courtesy of The Omaha World Herald
https://omaha.com/news/local/omaha-rescue-group-receives-shipment-of-69-cats-and-dogs-that-need-forever-homes/article_bd977386-46e1-11eb-97b6-0f75fcf1a5a0.html

NALA Rescue is a 100% volunteer-based organization steadfast in its commitment to changing the way society thinks about animals, animal rescues, and the impact animals have on humans. We understand the importance of feeling needed and loved, a “connection” if you will. With the help of our Animal Advocates, we are striving to match every animal in need of a home, with people who can provide loving homes where both will enjoy the benefits of this companionship. All our animals have an all-inclusive adoption fee – NALA Rescue provides all vaccinations, spay/neutering services, microchipping, and supplies for “trial periods.”

Before our animals are ready for adoption, some have special needs that NALA Rescue addresses. When it comes to special needs of cats, NALA Rescue’s Animal Advocates provide care for the smallest kittens (those under 1 pound) from the NHS. In our care, these babies are bottle fed and rehabilitated. In addition to the very smallest kittens, we also take felines from NHS that have ringworm. If not for the relationship our volunteers have cultivated with the NHS, these cats would be euthanized. Further, we provide trap and release (TNR) services for feral cats, ensuring that they are vaccinated and spayed/neutered, so they can be returned responsibly to the community. Finally, we provide medical and behavioral support for as many cats as we can financially and physically provide.

Like the services provided to felines, NALA Rescue’s commitment to canines is much the same! We provide bottle feeding and treatment for canine illnesses and diseases such as parvo, heartworm, distemper, and orthopedic surgery.

From rehoming healthy animals to caring for the sickest of the sick, NALA Rescue’s Animal Advocates are committed to working to make life better for animals in the community. This commitment comes with great responsibility and a hefty price tag. So far in 2020, we have found homes for 640 animals and spent over $130,000 on food, medications, surgeries, and other animal needs. In addition to monetary donations, NALA Rescue is also in need of more volunteers – from fosters to event attendees to transportation services, we need it all! We hope that someday there will not be a need for services such that NALA Rescue provides to the sick, neglected, abused, and unwanted, but until that day, we will be there with open homes, hearts, and arms.

If you want to donate to NALA Rescue via the Omaha Gives/Share Omaha – Giving Tuesday event, visit us at the link below!

https://shareomaha.org/donate/nebraskas-animal-loving-advocates-nala-rescue