Old Fella Animal Rescue

In early spring 2014, while walking our dog in a RV campground in Waynesboro, GA, a very beautiful, very friendly and very exhausted dog greeted us as we returned home. I gave her a fresh, cool bowl of water and let the two dogs socialize for a little while before grabbing a spare leash and walking this lost dog all around the RV park trying to find her owner. Unfortunately, no one knew where she came from, but many people have been feeding and housing her for several weeks. I turned to the local vet and Old Fella Rescue to see if anyone had reported her missing, she was very well behaved and it was obvious that she was loved and that some one had taken the time to train this young dog. She was not micro chipped, so we took her in for a few days while continuing to try to locate this sweet girls home. After a couple of days, we gave her the name Gypsy. As the days went on we made her apart of our family. Unfortunately, as the weeks went on and Gypsy recovered from dehydration and exhaustion, as much as we loved her, it proved to be too much to have 2 dogs that were beginning not to get along in our tiny travel trailer. Long sappy story later, Old Fella Rescue quickly found Gypsy a forever home. She was transported via Puppy Pipeline to Massachusetts, her new family named her Bristol. I was devastated to say goodbye to her, but oh so thankful for the wonderful people at Old Fella, Burke County Animal Hospital and Puppy Pipeline.

This booster t-shirt campaign is my way of saying Thank you, and helping the animals that I wish I could bring home and love forever. Please, help me help them help the animals!
ALL profits go to Old Fella Burke County Animal Rescue.

Please visit www.oldfella.org for more information and other ways to help!



ABOUT OLD FELLA

How we began...
It was Labor Day 2005 when Richard and Sue Daniels from Waynesboro, Burke County, GA set off on a camping trip to Modoc, SC in their RV.
Little did they know they would meet a friend for life in the form of an old black dog. When Richard and Sue first met Old Fella, he was a stray roaming around for scraps of food at their campsite. Many travelers had fed Old Fella during the five years he had been there, but it was Richard who could not get the harrowing image of this miserable animal out of his mind.
After returning home, Richard went back to the campsite several times before finding Old Fella, and with the help of some food and gentle sedatives, he took him to the vet. He was in terrible condition: old and frail, missing a paw, almost toothless, a fungal infection and on top of all of that, heartworm. After weeks of care, Richard and Sue decided to adopt him into their family. He has lived happily with them ever since.
To honor this dog, Richard brought together a small group of caring animal lovers and formed the Old Fella Burke County Animal Rescue in late 2006. In February 2007, we were first licensed; becoming the first licensed rescue group in Burke County. In the past few months, Old Fella struggled daily with, first, arthritis, and then cancer. Sadly, on Saturday, June 28,2008... almost 3 years after being rescued by Richard and Sue, Old Fella passed away. To honor Old Fella, we will continue to do what was started in his honor...to save the abandoned companion animals of Burke County. For Old Fella and all that loved him, with support, we will continue to save more of his kind.
Who we are... Burke County Georgia is 800+ square miles of Georgia farmland, small towns, swampy rivers and thick pine forests. At present, there is no countywide animal control in Burke County. The county seat of Waynesboro has a small shelter for dogs, but intake is limited to the 5.5 square miles of the city limit.
The Mission of Old Fella Burke County Animal Rescue is to assist as many abandoned companion animals as possible. However, we are not in the animal control business. Animal control is a government service, paid for by the taxpayers of the community to pick up abandoned or nuisance animals, often referred to as “strays.” We operate under a “rescue” license from The Georgia Department of Agriculture, a state agency that has very specific laws dictating the intake procedure we must follow when taking in animals.
Our license with the Georgia Department of Agriculture prohibits us from taking in “stray” animals; these animals must be picked up by an agency licensed to do so, such as animal control. In order for us to legally take in an animal, it must be surrendered to us in writing, by someone claiming to be its owner. If you know of a purely “stray” animal you would like to see removed, you must contact your local animal control agency or Sheriff’s department (if your county does not have animal control). Agility Training for an Old Fella rescue.

Old Fella Burke County Animal Rescue believes we have a responsibility to our community to educate the public on proper animal care. Our members are happy to share whatever knowledge we have on providing companion animals with proper food, water, shelter and veterinary care to anyone who asks. However, we are not authorized to investigate cases of animal cruelty and neglect.
These cases need to be reported to your local law enforcement and to your local animal control agency. While we take a firm stance against anyone that would harm or neglect an animal, we are not law enforcement. If you witness or suspect animal cruelty, please take the time to report it to your local animal control agency and your local police.
This is a very serious crime and is punishable by law.
As stated in our Bylaws, the mission of this organization is:
To prevent cruelty to animals
To provide humane education materials to children and the general public
To promote early, aggressive spay/neuter programs
To increase the quality of life of unwanted and homeless animals by providing necessary care and seeking suitable homes through adoption
To work cooperatively with local, state and national rescue/shelter groups with similar objectives
To be "no kill" in philosophy, wherein euthanasia is performed only for medical necessity, as well as public safety, as determined by a veterinarian
To never knowingly allow any animal in our care to undergo any experimentation or to release any animal for such experimentation