The dream of Grateful Rescue began the day I walked into a overcrowded, understaffed, and high-stress shelter to adopt a dog.

One dog, a white Dalmatian & Lab mix they called “Big Boy”.

But when I walked in, I couldn’t believe what I saw…

Dogs crated everywhere - in the hallways, in the laundry room, in the storage rooms… stacked on top of each other.

The stench, the stress, the despair.

It was all too much.

As I passed each dog, they would sit pretty and straight, wagging their tails, but when I would walk on, they would erupt in fierce barking.

It was if they were screaming, “Please help me!” It was heartbreaking.

I had to get out of there, I couldn’t bear it.

But as I was leaving, I saw him, cowering in his cage, shaking and terrified.

A small coonhound with droopy ears and the saddest eyes I’d ever seen. He wasn’t making a peep. Just trembling.

My heart was breaking!

I left the shelter with Big Boy, but I couldn’t get the terrified little coonhound off my mind. I cried for him and all the others that night.

I went back the next day and adopted that little coonhound. I named him Samson, because I wanted him to be strong.

But that wasn’t enough. What about all the others?

There must be a better way, a less stressful way to keep these homeless animals.

We began setting up a living space for dogs on our 22-acre property. We sectioned off four different yards for group play, added a climate-controlled home, set at 70 degrees year-round and NO CAGES.

Rooms, not cages.

Then we began pulling dogs from shelters.

In the Spring of 2019, we purchased an additional 38 acres and made plans to house over a thousand animals; dogs, cats and critters.

We will make a difference in the way animals are kept. A place where the homeless can enjoy their lives as best they can while they wait for their '“furever” family.

No more shaking. No more fear. We are Grateful.

Pamela Terhune, Founder & President

Grateful Rescue, INC dba Grateful Rescue & Sanctuary