Tennessee Rescue Dogs A Place To Bark
The Southern region of the United States has some of the most severe animal overpopulation problems in the country – and also the least amount of resources to deal with the problem. When artist and animal lover Bernie Berlin moved from Wisconsin to Tennessee and saw how horrific the problem was in her new hometown, she pledged to doing everything in her power to solve it. Lucky for the hundreds of animals she has rescued, Ms. Berlin is a pretty powerful woman!
“When I moved to Tennessee on Christmas Eve 2005, I had every intension to take some time off and raise funds to build a small, effective shelter to continue doing rescue. ?I never planned on helping as many animals as I do today,” said Berlin.
And she helps plenty of animals. Berlin and her husband take care of sometimes as many as 90 dogs at a given time on their 20-acre property. They take the dogs in, get them spayed or neutered, deal with any health problems the animals may have and then try to find them homes. She does private placements but also works with Humane Societies in other parts of the country to take in healthy, well-adjusted animals for adoption.
“In many parts of the country where spay and neuter programs are successful there is a shortage of healthy puppies and kittens. So my program helps the Humane Society, so that people who want to adopt a puppy adopt a rescue puppy and not a puppy-mill puppy,” Berlin explains.
Also, Berlin actively works with a local law-enforcement trainer, who takes in about 80 dogs a year to be working dogs. “There is a place for all animals and our working dogs are very much needed to serve ?and protect.”
She has placed hundreds of animals into private homes. “Last Christmas Eve I was at the pound and?I couldn’t quite get the thought out of my mind, that I could save a few lives for Christmas. That’s when I saw Noel, and she just brought me to my knees.” Noel is a Pit Bull mix that had been rescued from a dog-fighting ring. She had been used to make the other dogs fight and had lost her ears in the process. Berlin took her in and healed her, and now she has been placed in a private home. “Her owner is so in love with her and she has a great life – not to mention that I get to visit her when I’m in town.”
As with any animal rescue operation, Berlin continually struggles to find adequate financing. “Next year my primary foundation, The Zoline Family Foundation, has offered me a matching grant. Patricia Zoline has believed in my work for many years now. I am in desperate need for a true shelter. Our operation is mainly outdoor runs and very basic.” Being a creative person, Bernie Berlin always finds creative ways to get what she needs to continue her work. “My artist community has also supported my rescue efforts, we have an art auction yearly and their constant support, emotionally as well as financially has created what I do today. I am grateful everyday…”
For more information visit: aplacetobark.blogspot.com.
– Liza Case