Rescue Village celebrates 50 years and another Woofstock
By: Kaley Richards, Geauga Times Courier
The locally loved Rescue Village is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the organization has grown constantly throughout its journey. From starting as a small Geauga Humane Society (GHS), Rescue Village (RV) has grown to impact animals and people from counties all around.
RV originally started as a volunteer-based humane society, and it has grown to now have 30 full-time staff positions.
“The need for what a humane society does will never go away,” Ken Clarke, CEO of RV said.
In 1980, the GHS moved to a real shelter on Merritt Road. In 2001, the shelter now known as RV opened and operated at a small capacity for 14 years. In 2015, they expanded the shelter, doubling the size of it and adding a full-fledged veterinary clinic.
Now, the clinic has two full-time and two part-time veterinarians that provide help to animals in Geauga County. Animals come in all different types of conditions, Mr. Clarke said. “You name it, we’ve probably seen it,” he said.
Serving the community as a humane society, RV has power invested in them by the state to enforce laws and got out on humane calls.
“When you go into a difficult situation, you go there for the animals,” Mr. Clarke said.
He described many difficult cases in which they had to go rescue animals from a bad situation but were grateful to get the animals out and to better homes. The people can end up with serious charges against them for animal neglect and abuse.
Although their humane officer duties are limited to Geauga County, RV is not limited in taking in animals from neighboring shelters or other counties. They help shelter animals from Geauga, Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning, and more until they find the right person or family for the animal to go home with.
Right now, RV shelters a cow named ‘Milkdud’ through its barn program which originally started in 2007. With neighboring rural communities, Mr. Clarke says they’ve housed all kinds of barn animals like alpacas, donkeys, horses, goats, pigs, and even barn cats.
With a national initiative by NBCUniversal called ‘Clear the Shelters,’ Mr. Clarke said RV is always trying to clear the shelters and fill them up again with more animals in need, a constant cycle.
“We are never going to clear the shelters while there are animals and people in Northeast Ohio,” Mr. Clarke said.
He added that the turnover rate for most animals is about two weeks.
RV’s support comes from the community with no money taken from taxpayers, Mr. Clarke said. All funding comes from donors and grants. They hold a couple of annual fundraising events throughout the year like Tails at Twilight Gala and Woofstock.
This year, the 31st annual Woofstock attracted around 10,000 people for the event held this past Sunday. The event included a costume contest, an ice cream eating contest, live music, dock diving, a ramble (parade), and a raffle.
“It’s a point of community pride,” Mr. Clarke said.
The ramble was created to raise funds for a variety of RV’s needs. Those who raised more than $100 or more were able to participate in the ramble parade, get a goodie bag, and a professional photo. This year the ramblers raised almost $10,000.
They had 20 food trucks, 6 local breweries, and local vendors with tents set up to support the event with dog-safe treats and merchandise. Ten different rescues from all around Ohio came to support, some bringing some of their own adoptable dogs.
Dock diving was provided by Dawg Gone It, which provides a playground for dogs to run around and try new activities. Joi Harbaugh, owner of the company, said there are a lot of facilities that offer the activities her company does. Every dog was welcome to try dock diving if they wanted to.
The costume contest was filled with dogs dressed like corn on the cob, a lobster, a spider, and even an ambulance.
Mr. Clarke said Woofstock still has a small-town feel even though it is a big event. “It’s kind of interesting how humble it is,” he said.