Bridge to Home committed to rescuing unwanted dogs
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Bridge to Home Animal Rescue passed out treat bags – for dogs! – at Washington’s annual Christmas Parade Dec. 3.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Dogs like Lucy, with haunting pasts find loving homes through Bridge to Home Animal Rescue, founded by Tracey Crompton, pictured, in 2017. Crompton said the nonprofit doesn’t believe in foster fails because fostering and adopting are very different and not all foster families are right for the dogs in their care.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Spectators at Washington’s annual Christmas parade last week couldn’t miss Bridge to Home Animal Rescue’s float, bedecked in holiday lights and driven by Santa Claus himself. The nonprofit handed out treats for paradegoers’ fur babies.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Bridge to Home Animal Rescue’s mascot stops for photos with paradegoers at the Washington Christmas parade last week. The local nonprofit has found homes for more than 2,500 dogs since it was founded in 2017 by Tracey Crompton.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Tracey Crompton’s puppies, Lucy, top left, and Charlie, sit still long enough for a photograph (treats may have been involved). The high-energy Charlie is always ready for playtime.
Tracey Crompton recalls sitting at her dining room table with five friends in November 2017 and chatting about rescuing unwanted, homeless, abused animals.
Their goal: to find loving homes for 50 dogs each year.
Almost exactly four years to the day Bridge to Home Animal Rescue was launched, the Eighty Four-based nonprofit placed its 2,500th dog – Daisy, a 9-year-old Chihuahua mix.
“We had no idea what we were in for at the time,” said Crompton. “That 50th adoption came about three months in, and we’ve never looked back. I never imagined we would reach half that 2,500. It’s been a ton of work, way more than any of us bargained for.”
BTHAR places puppies and dogs, and also saves dogs with medical issues, including some with complex diagnoses.
One of the dogs they placed, Pigpen, underwent one of only two heart surgeries performed on a dog in the United States. Other dogs have undergone liver shunt surgeries, and BTHAR worked to get orthotics for Gia, a Husky born with deformed paws.
Crompton estimates the nonprofit has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on veterinarian bills for surgeries and for other issues including removing rotted teeth, repairing broken jaws, and treatment for parvo.
BTHAR also has spayed and neutered numerous dogs.
Dogs are kept in Crompton’s and BTHAR’s 50 volunteers’ homes until a home is found.
Crompton and volunteers also have traveled thousands of miles over the years to rescue dogs from situations ranging from dogs whose owners died to dogs whose breeders don’t have a use for them.
Crompton said the milestone adoption happened when Daisy – who, along with more than 20 other dogs, was seized from a neglectful owner – recently found her forever home.
Crompton said the COVID-19 pandemic made dog rescue more complicated, noting that at the start of the pandemic, everyone wanted to adopt a dog, and months later people wanted to return dogs.
BTHAR is in need of volunteers and monetary donations to help the nonprofit purchase a new van to make transports easier.
“Dog rescue isn’t easy,” said Crompton. “Thanks to all of our volunteers, adopters and supporters. Thanks to all of you who follow our Facebook page and share the dogs. We could not do this without all of you. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and for the next 2,500.”
To find out more about how you can help BTHAR, visit the website at www.bridgetohome84.org.