SEBASTIAN — The no-kill animal shelter in Sebastian that has rescued more than 5,000 dogs, cats and other furry creatures celebrated its seventh birthday over the weekend, bringing together numerous families that have adopted from the center located on Jackson Street.
For three and a half years, Walt and Kathy Pardington waited for a phone call from their neighbor and HALO (Helping Animals Live and Overcome) founder Jacque Petrone, telling them their newest family member was waiting for them at the shelter.
Eight months ago, they got the call – a chocolate Labrador was in need of her forever home.
One-year-old Maru went home with the Pardington’s joining a large family of numerous cats.
Walt said he was waiting for a chocolate Lab – not to replace a childhood pet but because many other people spoke highly of the breed.
“I’ve always wanted one,” Pardington said, explaining that he had always had English Bulldogs and Doberman Pinschers before.
The Pardingtons attended HALO’s birthday bash as a way to thank the organization for bringing them Maru.
“We love it,” Kathy said of what HALO has done and continues to do to help animals in need.
HALO staffer Stacey Cummins has spent the last three years at HALO, discovering the organization through community service.
“I’m an animal freak,” she said, explaining that many of her animals have come from HALO.
The first was a wolf-hybrid that was more wolf than dog. It was moved to a sanctuary in the Tampa area, Cummins said.
She didn’t let that deter her from opening her home to other animals, including a senior Mastiff, and a flock of Quaker parrots.
Cummins plans to take home two more dogs that are currently at the shelter – Phyllis and Jasper – once she buys a house.
“It’s amazing,” Cummins said of being a part of the 7-year anniversary, adding that she hopes to be around to see many more 7-year parties. “I don’t see myself anywhere else.”
Of the animals that currently call HALO home, Cummins said they are family.
“They are very spoiled. They’re mine – they just don’t live with me!” she said.
Seven years ago, Jacque Petrone decided to make a go of a boarding and grooming facility in a building her mother had purchased and had been leasing out. When the lessee decided not to renew the lease, Petrone stepped in.
Little did she know that the business would take a whole other direction, all because of a phone call she received.
Someone called about a mother cat that had been hit by a car. Her kittens were so newborn they still had their umbilical cords attached.
Petrone didn’t know it at the time, but that call spurred her to take in the kittens and work to find homes for animals in need.
“I was told I was crazy,” Petrone said, recalling the period of time when she struggled to get the necessary paperwork done to form a non-profit organization. “It just feels right,” is what she recalled as her response.
“I feel like there’s a reason for me,” she said. Given all she went through to get HALO up and running and continuing to run, she added, “I look back and there’s no regret.”
With HALO firmly established in the Sebastian community, taking in an average of 1,500 pets annually, Petrone is now turning her focus on establishing a sanctuary for what she calls the “lifers” – those that are not suited for re-homing. Lifers can be those with major, chronic medical conditions, behavioral issues, or for some other reason have just not found a forever home with a family.
Petrone envisions a large piece of property on which to create the sanctuary with plenty of space for dogs to run and play in and space enough for cats to sprawl to their hearts’ content.
It would also be a place where professional trainers could come and work with the animals, rehabilitating them and making them more suitable for a forever family.
As it is, the HALO facility at US 1 and Jackson serves as a grooming business, an adoption center and an animal sanctuary – leaving less than desirable amount of space for the animals to spread out, though the dogs get at least three walks daily, Petrone said.
Petrone hasn’t gotten to the stage yet of scoping out potential properties for her animal sanctuary, though she has been talking with various groups of people about it.
“We’re in the planning zone right now,” she said, explaining that she is working of a layout and plans for the sanctuary.
While Petrone started HALO Animal Rescue to help find homes for needy animals, its the people she’s come into contact with over the years who help her keep going.
“There are such great people who have helped,”Petrone said of the support she gets from the community. “It’s been a humbling experience.”
HALO is planning two fundraisers later this year, which will help cover medical costs associated with taking in unwanted and abandoned pets. The first is the annual In the Ruff golf tournament, which is currently scheduled for the first weekend in October. The second is the annual Walk in a Pack for Animals event, which is expected to be held sometime in December.
To find out more about HALO, visit www.halorescuefl.org.