Spreading Hope Across the Community: Hope for Life Rescue Center
Welcome to Featured Rescue Friday! This week we’re featuring Hope for Life Rescue Center, a rescue located in Virginia Beach that gives hope to the animals they save and the community they live in.
At Hope for Life Rescue Center, the walls are painted pink, blue and yellow. The rooms are fully decorated, complete with furniture and paintings. If not for all the cats striding the hallways, you would think you’re at a daycare for kids.
The facility is full of playrooms for cats and dogs.
“I believe cats should be cats and dogs should be dogs, and they can’t be that when they’re caged up,” said Pauline Cushman, founder of the rescue. “They feel like that’s the only space they own, so they become very withdrawn in that space, whereas like this, they can do whatever they want to do. And [the cats] interact with the dogs all the time.”
While shelters usually place their animals in kennels, the rescue allows animals to socialize with each other freely. The rooms have beds, toys and bowls, and the cats and dogs can go in and out as they please.
A few of the dogs are in glass rooms for health or behavior reasons, but even those rooms have just as many decorations and toys to keep them busy.
“They’re happier, they’re healthier, and they’re easier to adopt because people can come in and see their personalities,” said Cushman.
The pooches get to share a mattress in one of the glass rooms.
The free roam setup is not only meant for the animals, but for the visitors as well. Just like the cats and dogs, visitors are welcome to go from room to room and meet all the rescues.
“It has an impact on people too, not just the animals,” said Cushman. “When they come here, even if they don’t see something they like, it’s been a positive experience for them.”
Founded in 2002, the rescue started with an office, a small room, and a goal to save about 70 cats. Fast-forward to 2015 where the rescue owns two facilities and has saved over 6,100 animals.
While business was slow at first, the rescue now enjoys large numbers of visitors, especially on weekends. The staff ends up having to ask people to wait in the lobby because they get so busy.
Cats can hang out wherever they want, including the desks.
The rescue saves animals from high-kill shelters inside and outside of their local community in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Extending their reach to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, the rescue is willing to use whatever resources they can to help cats and dogs that shelters won’t take.
When they can’t reach a location in time by car, the rescue has a volunteer with a piloting license and a small Cessna plane who will fly over to North Carolina and pick up animals.
With all the work the rescue does to save and take care of animals, it’s no surprise that maintaining their facility requires a bit more work. Since all of the cats are allowed to free roam at night, they tend to leave the place a little messy.
“You look at it now, and it’s spotless, but overnight it’s party time,” joked Cushman.
Pauline Cushman, founder of Hope for Life Rescue Center
Every morning for four hours, staff members clean the facility before opening at noon. On average, they use about one gallon of bleach a day to keep the place clean.
On top of that, the rescue takes in animals with various sicknesses and health issues. From cats with ringworm to dogs with sarcoptic mange, the staff risks their own health just to give these animals the proper care and attention they deserve.
In order to keep their facility clean, pay for medical treatments, and continue to provide hope for their community, the rescue relies on donations. Any contribution would help the rescue and ensure a better future for the animals they save.
To donate, you can visit the rescue’s website and for additional information, be sure to check out their Facebook page.
I believe Hope for Life, as any rescue group, does their best to help animals. I have an issue with the fact that their site “Mission Statement” does not say that they take in cases from NC, GA, SC and TN before local. Yes, Virginia Beach has two good animal facilities but they are still a “Kill” and “Cage” centers. Apparently these other states are considered “high kill rate facilities” therefore take precedence over locals. Unfortunately most “locals” I talk to are unaware they are not open to locals. HFL tells locals to call SPCA when you can never get through via phone or delayed responses via webpages. This group IS NOT SUPPORTING LOCAL NEEDS……that’s not optimal but at least if they could correctly state their mission on their webpage that would present an HONEST approach to their mission. I befriended slowly, over a month and half, a 7 mo old feral kitty. She would not have done well in a cage at all…the recommendation from HFL via fb email after no phone calls answered and several emails. I took her to my own vet, had her spayed, all shots, de-wormed, de-fleaed etc and found her a good home on my own….at almost $500. I’m on my second round of feral kitties which need this type of environment that HFL has but won’t open to locals. It’s so sad they won’t help locals reduce the population of feral cats that have very adoptable kittens when locals take a huge amount of time to socialize them. Just want them to be HONEST and honestly support locals that need their help after all their individual efforts.
Thank you for your feedback Pamela! Animal rescue is very tough and there are many people trying to make a difference, it sounds like you are included in that! Thank you for your efforts! 🙂
I’m not seeing the mission statement you are referring to, so I can’t comment specifically on that but I can say that many rescues and rescuers try to prioritize their time and resources to what they consider to be most urgent. I know frustrations run high for many of us when lives are on the line and we all have our opinions on what rescues should be doing. When there is only a finite amount of space or funding, it can be difficult to ensure everyone ends up happy with the efforts that are put forth. It sounds like you are experiencing some of these frustrations. We all need to remember that not everyone will always agree on what is most urgent or what should be prioritized, but as long as a positive difference is being made and more lives are being saved than lost because of any one person or group’s efforts, those efforts should be applauded. If we all work together, we can bring about change and save lives. 🙂
I love this place. They saved my beagle who was emaciated with a broken jaw. He came from Amelia County.
Aw love this! Thank you for adopting Holly!