This past summer, my father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from cancer. To make matters worse, this devastation resulted in tragic consequences for our family members/dogs, Maxx and Jazzy. I am a 21 year old FL college student who lives in the dormitories, and I am not allowed to have pets. Additionally, my mother lives in a small house in NJ, and her new husband is quite allergic to dogs. Despite our continuous advertising and word-of-mouth via our family and friends, we could not find them a new "forever home." Three days before I was leaving for college, the only potential lead we found backed out. Maxx and Jazzy were rescued from abusive environments prior to our adopting them -- Maxx being chained to a tree without food and water and Jazzy likely being physically abused-- so the prospect of them not being in a safe and loving home terrified us.
Fortunately, my mother's cousin Susan knows Meg from HART (Homeless Animal Rescue Team) in Fairfax Station, VA. This organization answered our cries of desperation, accepting the dogs and all of the paperwork after hours to ensure that they were guaranteed a spot within the organization. Meg has guaranteed that they would remain together in their temporary kennel awaiting a foster home and in their future "forever home." We arranged for TLC Pet Transport (the country's first and only private family-only USDA licensed pet transportation service) to drive our dogs to their new home in Virginia, and everything went as smoothly as we could have ever imagined.
HART treated our dogs and us with the utmost respect and kindness. We receive frequent updates on their condition, and, in Meg's own words, "they do get plenty of play time at the kennel and are loved" :) We know that our puppies are in good hands with HART, and we are thankful for their immense help and support during this difficult time.
I have nothing but great things to say about H.A.R.T. When I was in search of a rescue to take in 2 abandoned and starving dogs in my rural community H.A.R.T. was the only organization that I contacted (out of many) that was willing to take them in and help them. These 2 dogs had been running loose for a long time and when I contacted H.A.R.T. they quickly agreed to take them. Even though these dogs were from out of the area that didn't matter to H.A.R.T. The dogs were placed in foster care and were adopted into loving homes. Without H.A.R.T. my only other option would have been to take these dogs to the pound. These 2 sweet dogs owe their lives to Homeless Animal Rescue Team and I am genuinely grateful for what they did.
I LOVE this group. The dedication and knowledge base among the volunteers is incredible. Everyone is passionate about making a great match between adopter and pet, and will go out of their way to make the process smooth. I started out out as an adopter only and quickly got "sucked in" because of the other volunteers' friendliness and the group's mission. Of course events can be chaotic and we're working on streamlining things more... If you're looking for a great resource as you begin the process for your first pet or your eighth, HART is the place to go!