Springdale animal rescue buys house in Tarentum to expand services

A Springdale animal rescue has bought a house in Tarentum to help it expand its services.

Paws Across Pittsburgh closed on the house in the 400 block of East Sixth Avenue on Nov. 19. It covered the $105,000 cost through a loan and donations.

“We’re thrilled about the house,” said founder and President Jackie Armour. “We honestly feel that it’s just the perfect fit for us. It had all the elements that we were looking for. There’s so many possibilities there, and the potential for us to save more animals and for us to reach out to more people.”

Run solely by volunteers, the rescue provides medical care and helps find “forever homes” for cats and dogs. It operates on a foster-based model, meaning the animals live with foster families until they are adopted.

The house will give volunteers a physical space to hold adoption and meet-and-greet events with the animals, as well as a place to take the animals to be washed and groomed before they go to a foster home.

“These were all things that (were), as we got bigger, a little bit more of a challenge,” Armour said. “The puppies and the kittens, people always want to be able to come to a facility and meet the animals, which isn’t always as accessible in foster homes.”

It will not be used to house the animals, unless in extenuating circumstances.

“If we had an urgent situation and there were a couple cats that we needed to bring in for a medical reason and the foster couldn’t take them till the next day, we would be able to hold them there temporarily,” Armour said. “At this point we couldn’t do that with dogs because that’s all regulated through the Department of Agriculture, and we don’t have permission to do that at that building at this time.”

The house also will give the rescue a place to hold educational workshops as well as foster and volunteer meetings.

100 foster families

The rescue has about 100 foster families located throughout the Pittsburgh area, and about 50 active volunteers that help with events and take animals to vet appointments.

One of those volunteers, Colleen Mulvihill, is the real estate agent that helped the rescue find the house. Mulvihill adopted her pooch, Baxter, from the rescue. Armour was Baxter’s foster parent.

“I just fell in love with his cute, little face,” Mulvihill said. “I was happy to be able to adopt him.”

Mulvihill said the house ended up checking off all the needs the rescue had, including having a place for people to drop off donations. In the past, donations and supplies were put in storage units.

Now they can be stored at the house, which will save the rescue money.

“Being hands-on volunteering and then being able to help Jackie has just been so rewarding,” Mulvihill said. “I’m proud that I was able to help the rescue be able to expand and grow their future.”

Armour said the rescue will remain foster-based because it helps better prepare the animals for adoption. It will turn 5 years old in April.

“If a dog stays in a kennel-type environment and then goes right to an adopter’s home, they haven’t had that recent (time) where they’re in a home and learning how to be a family pet,” Armour said. “If they go a foster home first, they get to mingle with the family, they get some house training and socialization and all that.”

Self-sustaining group

All money raised for the rescue comes from fundraisers, donations and adoption fees. It holds an average of 10 to 12 big fundraisers per year. Several of those had to be canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This year obviously has been crazy because we can’t have as many events as we usually do,” Armour said.

Armour said volunteers are in the process of cleaning and painting the house. Some stored items have been moved to the house from the storage units.

She hopes to have the house open and ready to use by Jan. 1.