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 BETH RODRIGUEZ | DAILY HERALDLynn Roberson, left, and Nancy Seevers with three of the dogs Rainbow Rescue has saved. The animal rescue group works to find homes for stray animals. |
ROANOKE RAPIDS -- Lynn Roberson has a motto: Don't breed or buy while shelter pets die.
While she considers the phrase a personal slogan, it also applies to Rainbow Rescue, a recently founded animal rescue organization. The group was officially formed at the beginning of the summer, although most of the people involved have been working to find homes for stray animals for years. Roberson remembers "dragging home strays" as a child.
The name of the group is taken from a novel Roberson recently published about animal lovers in a small town. The title of the book in turn comes from a poem about a "rainbow bridge" animal lovers cross with their pets before entering heaven. Roberson donates a portion of the proceeds from her book sales to animal rescue groups.
The group has six members. Roberson said that although the group is small, she and the other volunteers are dedicated and enthusiastic. Many of the members pay for animal care costs such as food and vet bills out of their own pockets. Some put in more than 40 hours a week into placing homeless cats and dogs. Rainbow Rescue is now seeking to become a non-profit organization.
The group works with other organizations in North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York to place animals. Roberson was unsure of how many animals the group had saved so far, but said there are many "special stories" she has encountered in her years of working with homeless dogs and cats.
Roberson remembers in particular one beagle mix dubbed "Gemma." When found, the dog had only three legs, with the fourth apparently chopped off with an ax or a similar device. The dog was in a foster home for almost a year before a new permanent home was found in Canada. Roberson said the owner e-mails her regularly, and Gemma is "living a life of leisure and happiness."
Roberson says homeless animals are a serious problem in the Roanoke Valley. "There are dogs that have been abused ... that are so starved they look like skeletons."
Surprisingly, Roberson says many of the strays they come across are "expensive, purebred dogs." She also worries about animals chained up in yards with no shelter, food or water.
She pointed out that stray dogs and cats can quickly multiply. "I beg people to spay and neuter."
Despite the dedicated work of the group's current members, the task of finding homes for all of the area's homeless animals is overwhelming.
Roberson says Rainbow Rescue is "in desperate need of foster homes," as they have no shelter or center in which to care for the animals. Additional volunteers are also needed to transport the animals.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the group may call Lynn Roberson at 445-5848 or e-mail her at ordertherainbow@aol.com.
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