26 dogs died after a fire at a Hallsville animal rescue. Owners pledge to rebuild
A week ago, the worst thing that could happen impacted Hallsville-based Little Rays of Sunshine Animal Rescue.
A fire in the kennels killed nearly all the dogs the rescue had. Some dogs were with off-site foster families. The fire happened at about 1 a.m. Jan. 29. The kennel had a fire alarm, but unfortunately it was not heard by Jordan Alexander, one of the rescue's owners.
It was so devastating, Alexander wasn't even sure she wanted to continue on as an animal rescue. Encouragement from friends and family means Little Rays will rebuild.
"We are grateful to everyone that has reached out and shown their love and support and have offered to help us," Alexander said.
A GoFundMe was established to cover the estimated fire damage cost of $30,000. As of Friday afternoon $953 dollars was raised from 17 donors. Alexander plans to run the GoFundMe campaign over the next one to two months, along with seeking out further grant opportunities.
Even if a person does not have the financial means to donate, she hopes people still will share the GoFundMe link with friends, Alexander said.
"It is all greatly appreciated," she said, adding they will assess how long to keep the GoFundMe up depending on how grant applications play out. "Hopefully we will hear back from some of those soon."
Little Rays also plans to hold a fundraiser starting 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Bob Lemone Building at the Hallsville Community Fairgrounds.
"Between the GoFundMe and grant applications, we are hoping to clean up that area and rebuild," Alexander said. "We will probably keep it about the same size, but with some upgrades. It is just me, my mom and my husband (running Little Rays)."
The Little Rays team was able to remove the remains of the 26 dogs killed in the fire, which are being held safely until they can be given a proper burial once temperatures warm up enough to dig the graves.
The fundraiser will include live music and a cornhole competition. Registration will take place at the fundraiser's start time. Entry fees are $30 for doubles and $20 for singles. Half of the entry fee goes toward the prize fund, while the remainder will support Little Rays' rebuild efforts.
Alexander first was introduced to the animal rescue trade in 2018. A friend was serving as a foster home for a different rescue operation, which piqued her interest in creating her own with her family. Little Rays was established in 2019.
"At that point, it was a foster-based organization. We did not yet have a (kennel) facility. In April of 2021 is when we built the facility," Alexander said.
Dogs rescued by Alexander and Little Rays include owners seeking to rehome a pet or those who were abused. All dogs rescued by Little Rays receive veterinary treatment, microchipping, are spayed or neutered and then they are listed for adoption. Little Rays would note which dogs need more patience, especially if they came from an abusive or not socialized situation.
"When a dog finds their forever home and seeing how happy they are and their new owners are, that is what it really is all about," Alexander said. "These dogs have been through so much and they just want love. We are happy to be able to share that love until they can find someone else."
Alexander shared the story of two dogs who unfortunately perished. The two had come from a home where they were not really socialized with other people and dogs and so did not want affection from anyone.
"One was far worse than the other and the day before the fire, my 3-year-old son was able to go in the kennel to help me feed them and that dog was to the point that dog would let my son pet him," she said. "That was a great feeling on so many different levels. They were opening up to the children."
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Hallsville animal rescue devastated by fire pledges to rebuild
