Happening Now

November 26, 2018
Lee Fuller

A hard problem to overcome is having so much love and not knowing how to direct it. Many residents of Jacksonville love animals, but we can only do so much. We can only have so many pets and the city is limited in their capacity as well. Local shelters are filled and there are still animals on the streets. It is a problem that local Jacksonville resident Angie Persch decided to focus on when she started a rescue center for dogs. Located just of Roy Webb Drive, Rockin’ P Rescue, Inc has been a consistent haven for Boxers for twenty-one years here in Jacksonville. When asked “why boxers”? Angie laughed and said “Because I knew I had to focus myself.” Angie and her husband Bob are true animal lovers. They would love to save them all however, there are realistic. They wanted to truly make a difference in this community and for the dogs, so they picked a breed they were very familiar with. Each breed has unique needs and medical concerns and this way, they are able to focus all of their energy. Rockin P Rescue is a go to resource for all your Boxer knowledge. 

Angie grew up around animals her whole life. She has also spent the majority if her professional life working with animals. From being a veterinary technician, to being the Director of Calhoun County Regional Humane Society for eight years, and well as being the Director of Cheaha Regional Humane Society for two years when it first started, Angie has made animals a life mission. She wanted to create a true rescue where dogs could get the medical care they needed and they love to require. This drive to care for animals continues in the development and launching of Paws and Tails Fur Family Care. This is a new veterinary clinic in Fort McClellan and is a fear free office. Dr. Elizabeth Mayne will be the veterinarian; she is also a local Jacksonville resident who graduated from Jacksonville Christian Academy before attending Auburn University. The clinic will be opening shortly after the first of the year and hope to truly be a different kind of practice that is a sanctuary for animals in need of medical care. This will be a great partnership, not just between Rockin P Rescue, but also between the animal loving community of Jacksonville and Calhoun County.

Rockin P Rescue is a unique organization and though it is relatively small, this is by design. The board and Angie and Bob want to make sure that every dog that is cared for truly gets 100% of the attention and love they need. Dogs are also spayed and neutered, heartworm tested, dewormed, given heartworm preventive, micro chipped, and have all vaccinations. They are placed in a home environment and not a cage. Regardless of whether its in Bob and Angie’s home or the home of another foster family each dog becomes part of a family. 90% of the animals at the rescue are shelter surrenders. Many of the dogs taken in have medical concerns or are taken when the shelters have simply reached capacity. Working with the dogs and their individual needs is a top priority for the rescue. The whole process is a team effort.  This team starts with the shelter workers who reach out when a need arises, the volunteers, the transporters, the foster families that open their home, the wonderful veterinary staff, and of course the amazing adoptive homes that these adorable dogs go to.

For the dogs that come into the rescue the ultimate goal is a successful adoption. This process is handled by the adoption team. The process begins with the initial application and does require a home visit to ensure the best fit and behavior matching is key. Every dog and family has different needs and Rockin P wants to make sure that placements are right for all parties involved. This includes making sure the physical environment fits the dogs needs as well as matching behavioral needs and personalities. All dogs adopted out are considered inside family dogs. The adoption costs at its highest is $225.

The rescue is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit and a no kill shelter. Rockin P Rescue currently is caring for twenty-five dogs and in addition to that, another community service they provide is a local dog food bank. If any local resident has a short term need for dog food please contact Angie, or the rescue, and they will help get food or find food for you and your pets. Angie wants to make sure that no dog ends up homeless because of a food shortage. This is just one more example of how much Angie cares for all the dogs of the community.  In total Rockin P Rescues has placed almost 1700 dogs.

For those that would like to support this amazing rescue there are many different ways. You can make monetary donations that will go directly into the care for the animals; this can be done through the PayPal donation link (listed below). You can donate sheets, blankets and throws directly to the rescue or you can also make all your Amazon purchases using Amazon Smile and choose Rockin P Rescue Inc. as your charity of choice. You can also volunteer to be a foster family and house one or more of these amazing Boxers. Another opportunity is Facebook’s giving Tuesday where all funds raised will be matched by various other donors. All funds raised will go for the medical care of Edna as she has an urgent need of major hip surgery. Please consider opening your hearts to this wonderful organization and these wonderful dogs.

Contact information:

Address: 885 Roy Webb Rd. Jacksonville, AL 36265
Facebook
Website
PayPal Donation
Amazon Smile – Choose – Rockin P Rescue Inc.
Paws and Tails Fur Family Care 

Giving Tuesday