Founded by a brother and sister duo, Rainbow Rescues of Chicopee, MA, provides a safe haven for dogs, cats and rabbits. Since 2008, they and their team of devoted volunteers have operated in the attempt to make the world a better place, one adoption at a time.

Upon receipt of a new rescue, their animals are almost immediately placed in a foster home. In fact, both Maria and her brother Shawn foster dogs in their own homes, while overseeing and coordinating a network of volunteer foster pet parents. None of their rescues spend time in cages or kennels, which helps to soothe the rattled nerves of relocation.

Maria O’Brien spearheads the group’s efforts to identify the perfect long-term placement for every animal. Last year, they successfully adopted out 40 companion animals to their forever homes. This rescue also takes its place in the community seriously, working to educate the public about animal welfare and other related issues.

Each animal taken in by their agency receives a complete health evaluation and an emotional/temperament assessment, along with necessary vaccinations. Additionally, all rescues are spayed or neutered. Their policy is to accept all animals except for large livestock; when such cases arise, they provide referral services to agencies or fosters who specialize in livestock surrenders.

In spite of their high level of care, they charge only a minimal adoption fee, to help offset the costs of medical treatments and the provisions needed to outfit their foster homes. Every cent they raise from adoption fees and donations go towards the cost of caring for these fortunate four-leggeds. No one affiliated with Rainbow Rescue receives any kind of compensation … except for, according to them, “a lot of good feelings”.

Maria O’Brien said that the foundation award was “greatly appreciated” and that Rainbow Rescue was able to use the funds for a wide range of necessities, including “much needed supplies such as crates and cages, flea preventatives, heartworm preventatives, specialty foods for our food-allergy dogs, and much more”. Maria added that they were able to cover the costs of “several medical procedures for some of our adoptable pets to help them lead healthier and more comfortable lives”.

In what follows, we provide some of the details regarding just three of the lives that were improved by our financial award.

BETHANY [Successfully placed in a new forever home] A beautiful 3-to-4 year-old Bull Mastiff, Bethany needed corrective surgery for her eyelids. With funds from the Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation, Bethany received the surgery she needed, and it was a successful procedure. Shortly thereafter, she was adopted into a fantastic new home where she is happy and healthy.

DELILAH [Successfully placed in a new forever home] Rescued shortly after receiving our financial award, Delilah was quickly diagnosed with both heartworms and Lyme disease. Additionally, she was suffering from malnourishment and was severely underweight. A portion of our donation helped to treat all of her conditions, making her healthy enough to be adopted by her new loving family.

PERCY [Available for adoption] One of Rainbow’s older rescues is the handsome Percy. He was suffering with a large tumor on his side, which caused him discomfort and became easily inflamed when he played and rolled in the grass. Part of the money received was used to cover the costs of surgery to remove the benign growth. Post-surgery, Percy is much more comfortable and has resumed his happy and exuberant play schedule in his foster home as he patiently waits for the discovery of his forever home.

In addition to the procedures and supplies mentioned above, our grant made it possible for Rainbow Rescue to afford food and toys to help newly adopted companion animals make the transition to their new homes as stress-free as possible.

We’d like to convey our sincerest thanks to all of our readers who, through their personal donations and continued patronage, made this grant possible. You have directly helped the O’Briens and their dedicated network of Rainbow Rescue volunteers to continue their vital work towards making the world a better place for abandoned companion animals.

Remember, every time a Life’s Abundance order is placed, a portion of the profits goes directly to the foundation. If you would like to show additional support our foundation, you may do so when placing an order online or by sending a check to Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation, Inc. at P.O. Box 1425, Palm City, FL 34991. Even if you can only spare a dollar or two, you’ll be providing much needed aid to deserving pet-rescue organizations, which are on the front lines of the fight to reduce and eliminate pet abandonment, neglect and abuse in America.