The following was submitted by All Heart pet rescue.
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For the past two years All Heart pet rescue owner Kathy Jeanneault has been to hell and back.
She lost her mentor Diana Turnbull to breast cancer, then her mother Dianne Facette had a major stroke forcing her to re-learn walking, using her hands and talk again. She lost her two beloved family dogs Jack and Duke to old age. She lost her life partner Wayne Larocque, a newly retired OPP officer after a strong fight with colon cancer, and then Jeanneault had a hysterectomy which kept her in bed six weeks.
Jeanneault managed during all this to be a friend, a mother, a wife and a successful shelter owner.
She was simply "all heart" She certainly believes in the cliche 'what goes around comes around'.
Jeanneault says "The people were amazing. The support in my personal life and at the rescue is what kept me fueled"
To prove that she still had what it took to carry on an Ontario-wide respected achievement, Jeanneault worked harder than ever. She put what she had left of her heart and soul into finding those that needed homes the most, the old, the sick and once discarded.
During the past three months of summer, despite her challenges, she managed to rehabilitate and re-home 13 dogs that would never have found a home had they not entered a rehabilitation centre.
Some of the dogs included may have been on death row or just destructive beyond words. They came from places such as North Bay, Sudbury, Montreal, southwestern Ontario, Windsor, remote communities in northern Ontario, Toronto and Hamilton.
One of the dogs had been with us for rehab for two years, another of them had lived in a one bedroom apartment as a breeding dog with seven other German shepherds living in cages their entire life. Another was a 10-year-old senior beagle that no one wanted anymore. One dog Dusty had been in three other pounds or shelters before landing a spot at the pet rescue in Powassan.
Jeanneault stated " I'm proud of who we are and what we do. The volunteers have made such a difference keeping all heart pet rescue afloat while I had days I didn't know how to carry on."
"I believe our success comes from taking the time with the potential adopters and donators and really getting to know their needs and listen to their stories.
After that it's simple. We match the right dog with the right person." said Jeanneault
Jeanneault is growing tired- but isn't ready to retire yet.
It's been 20 years since Jeanneault founded All Heart. She is truly hoping one day to pass on the reins to her daughter and perhaps have a 50/50 partner investor so she can have full-time employees and expand which could potentially include veterinary services on site.
Jeanneault says, "We'll see what the future holds. But, until I stop dreaming about all the improvements I want to make, then I'm all in!"
Open houses are on Sunday. 12-3
All Heart pet rescue can be found on the web also on https://www.facebook.com/groups/8543502122/Facebook, all heart pet rescue Powassan Ontario
