Rusty was Emilee Spear’s first rescue. She adopted him at the age of “ancient,” when he was pulled from the euthanasia list at the local county pound. He was skin and bones, deaf, going blind, had a mouth full of rotten teeth, and was lost and scared. She fostered him for a while before adopting him because she knew no one else would. Rusty taught Emilee that animals don’t deserve to die alone after loving us for all their lives.
Rusty is the reason Rusty’s Angels Sanctuary exists. Emilee and her team are dedicated to giving senior dogs the ending they have earned. “I remember what an amazing ‘mess’ Rusty was, and how much he loved me because I saved him when no one else would,” Emilee explains. “And I promised him that I would continue to help those just like him live out their twilight years knowing that same feeling.”
The sanctuary also features a farm and a resale boutique. The Farm of Hope was started when two domesticated ducks were dumped in a neighborhood park. The sanctuary rescued the ducks and named them Ross and Rachel. Four ducks, 15 chickens, four goats, two burros and a horse now call the farm home.