From DDB: Dogs Deserve Better, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the cruelty of chaining and penning dogs for life, has succeeded in their bid to obtain a loan for the former Vick Bad Newz Kennels.
They have raised the 30% down required by the bank, received an approval for a loan on Friday, April 29, and hope to close on the property mid-May, when they will begin the transformation to the Good Newz Rehab Center for Chained and Penned Dogs.
The property was sold by Michael Vick to an investor as soon as the heat came on, and has been sitting vacant ever since. The group plans to build a state-of-the-art Rehab center for chained and penned dogs, as well as maintain a memorial for the dogs who lost their lives in the brutality that occurred at the Moonlight Road, Virginia location.
The 15-acre property, including house and sheds, is selling for $595,000. The organization will come to the table with the required $178,500, but still needs to fundraise to pay the remainder, build a fence around the property to keep the dogs inside and safe, and install temporary housing for dogs while they fundraise to build the facility.
DDB founder Tamira Thayne states, “We are ecstatic to get on the ground and start the transformation of this property and the entire community which was brought to its knees by the brutality that occurred. It’s a new day; we are sending a message that animal abuse is out of line with what our country’s citizens want. Dogs are family members, part of the pack, and we must honor and respect them as such.
“We are hopeful that having obtained the loan, even more people will step forward with financial support to make our dream for our rescued dogs come true. They deserve it.
“Dogs Deserve Better has worked hard for chained and penned dogs for nine years, winning numerous awards, and fostering as many as 400 dogs per year out of our homes. With a center to call our own, we hope to rescue at least another 500 chained or penned dogs per year and move them on to new and better lives as members of a real, inside home and family. Dog lovers and supporters of our work will be welcome to visit us and our rescue dogs, as well as take a moment to honor the memory of those who died there.
“I ask every dog lover to donate what they can and spread the word. Ask your family, friends, celebrities, company owners, everyone you can possibly think of. Supporting this center as a major donor could only be good publicity, and Dogs Deserve Better continues to be an amazing nonprofit who will not let you down.”DDB’s all-volunteer area reps, over 100 nationwide, rescue from chains and pens and rehabilitate at least 400-500 dogs per year, working only through their own homes or a network of foster homes.
The organization can provide financials as well as projected needs for the DDB Good Newz Rehab Center for Chained and Penned Dogs to all interested parties.
To see the site page dedicated to the center and ‘like’ the facebook page, visit the link at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/ddbcenter.html.
To contact Tamira Thayne or Dogs Deserve Better, call 814.941.7447
I Know Tami personally and have donated to this worthy cause. Tami is a relentless advocate for chained dogs and for the welfare of animals. Let’s turn what used to be hell for dogs into a place which will now save dogs’ lives!