Teddy Bear Care helps one cat or dog at a time
In 2013, Donna Roberts lost her “son” Teddy, an 18-year-old dog she rescued from a New Jersey shelter.
“Teddy was very special. My sister said he was the only ‘human dog’ she’s ever met,” Roberts said. “I’ve always had a soft spot for animals and when Teddy passed, I was close to suicidal. It was devastating for me.”
Her aunt, Charlotte Newton, promised to find a project that would inspire Roberts in a similar way Teddy did – a way to give back to the community what Teddy had given to her.
Carmichaels-based Teddy Bear Care (TBC) was created by Roberts and Newton as a dog and cat rescue facility and was backed by the friends and family who had known Teddy and Roberts all those years.
“It started as a family organization including those we call co-founders: Barb Turner, Jennifer Duke and Brian Roberts. Every one of them were with me when Teddy passed away,” Roberts said. “We became a nonprofit in 2014, and Charlotte passed away shortly after. She made me promise I’d step down as president of the board because she knew my heart. I don’t have any business sense and she wanted this to be successful.”
Today, with board members from all over the country and skill sets in finance, legal and nonprofit building, TBC is in good hands.
Roberts remembers a former college professor sitting her down for a heart-to-heart conversation as plans for TBC were underway. She asked, “What will make TBC different from any other rescue?”
“I think about that everyday. We have a chaplain on staff that helps us in times of animal loss and human loss,” Roberts said. “We hold a volunteer appreciation family picnic every other year and hand out trophies for their achievements and accomplishments. Every single person gets a certificate whether you are a foster family or you sold raffle tickets.”
In addition, TBC runs a 24/7 emergency transport vehicle in partnership with state and local police. They take injured or ill pets to the nearby vet hospital for a minimal fee. They’re working on a junior volunteer program for youth; teaching proper animal care, safety and other important topics and a grant program was launched to encourage spay and neuter.
In the past 10 years, Roberts and the team have saved 304 animals and they have foster families caring for them across the county.
In order to continue growing, TBC is in need of a facility.
“One of our board members has property and they donated an acre to us,” Roberts said. “Once that facility is open we want to really raise the bar. We’ve talked about training puppies to be service animals for veterans and of course, we’ll be able to take more animals in for rescue.”
In support of TBC, they are always looking for foster families and adoptive families as well as donations.
For more information, visit https://www.tbccares.org.