The Early Days
Rocky Mountain Collie and Sheltie Rescue is rare among U.S. dog rescue organizations in that we were founded long ago. That is, “long ago” in rescue standards, as the burn-out rate can indeed be high. The first variation of a Collie rescue in Pueblo started in the late 1960s with volunteers from the Pueblo Humane Society. Key members were Bill and Barbara Skinder and Jerry Litvack; and then Harry and Dawn Amick, who lived near Pueblo in the mountain town of Beulah. As Harry recalls, “Dawn’s thing was always Collies. Dawn and I were married in 1979, and that was the time she and I started working together placing and doing Collie rescue together, just the two of us.” From these small beginnings in 1979 first came Pueblo Collie/Sheltie Rescue and now Rocky Mountain Collie and Sheltie Rescue.
Sadly, Dawn passed away in July of 1990, but Harry continued their important volunteer work on his own. In 1992 his rescue started helping Shelties as well as Collies. Harry’s mountain property in Beulah was a true haven for the dogs that he rescued. The dogs had room to run; and there was even an out building in case a dog came in pregnant and needed a place to care for her pups, or in case a dog needed to be quarantined. For six years, Harry also was President of the Pueblo Humane Society and volunteered on a regular basis at the Pueblo animal shelter.
Transition to PC/SR
A transition slowly came to PC/SR when Hope and Doug Hemperly of Pueblo met Harry, wanting to adopt a rescue Collie. Hope started helping Harry with rescue efforts, becoming more and more involved. Hope eventually took over the reins of PC/SR, and it became the standard for each dog to have thorough vet care, including spay-neuter, vaccinations, dentals, heartworm test and meds, and anything else required. Hope fostered most of the dogs, but a handful of other foster homes helped. An adoption fee was required to help defray veterinary expenses.
Incorporation
PC/SR changed again around 2002 by taking a place on the internet. A new website and email address allowed potential adopters to find us from anywhere. Policies, such as guidelines for adoption, foster care, transport, etc., also were formally worked out so that the website would have clear information, as would volunteers. Two years later, PC/SR was incorporated and became a non-profit 501(c)3, tax-exempt entity. A mission statement and by-laws were written, and a board was formed.
Regional Reach
Yet another transition began in 2010, when the Board officially recognized the greater geographic scope of the organization as it has evolved over the years. They formed a new non-profit 501(c)3 corporation, Rocky Mountain Collie and Sheltie Rescue, Inc., which continues to operate solely due to volunteer efforts. Hope’s full-time (non-paying) job as Director includes coordination of incoming dogs, fostering and arranging for foster homes, updates to the website, scheduling vet checks and treatments, reviewing adoption and foster applications, and much more.
Other volunteers, including the President and members of the Board, devote countless hours to committee work, marketing, fundraising, fostering, doing transport, website maintenance, bookkeeping, and organizing pertinent data. Our volunteers range in age from teen-agers to seniors. Harry is our senior-most volunteer and our President Emeritus.
To meet our rescue dogs, the first step is to read Policies & Guidelines and then fill out the application. The application process also includes a vet reference, a phone conversation with our director and possibly the dog’s foster family, and a home check by a RMCSR volunteer.
Thank you for visiting our website and caring about our rescue Collies and Shelties.
