While local animal rescue groups seek to find permanent homes for unwanted or abandoned dogs and cats, the goal of Rescue and Recover is to provide support to those organizations.

Rescue and Recover was founded in 2019 by Chester County resident Milby Thorington. "We are a 100% volunteer-based nonprofit," Thorington explained. "We raise resources for animal rescues to allow them to focus more on their animals and less on where necessities are coming from. It's a very different type of organization."

To help financially support local rescues, Rescue and Recover volunteers set up booths at local events, where they sell items such as T-shirts, dog toys and leash holders. Most recently, volunteers participated in the National Dog Day event on Aug 19 at Victory Brewing Company in Parkesburg.

"We fundraise year-round. We participate in many events as a vendor, and we sell a bunch of different dog toys and merchandise," Thorington said. "One of our partners is Habitat for Humanity of Chester County. We take their scrap pieces of lumber, and we turn them into leash holders, which are plaques with hooks (attached)."

In May, Rescue and Recover hosted its first event, a Rescue Rally held at East Fallowfield Township Park. The event featured displays by local animal rescue groups, a pet photo booth, a dog kissing booth and a "least obedient dog" competition. There were also vendors and food trucks. "We had three participating rescues - LaMancha, Lucky Dawg and Scallywags. They came with adoptable animals," said Thorington, noting that proceeds from the fundraiser were divided between the rescues.

Next up for the group is the Canine Partners for Life (CPL) Fall Festival set for Saturday, Sept. 16, from noon to 4 p.m. at CPL, 334 Faggs Manor Road, Cochranville.

Thorington, who has a service dog named Loki, which he adopted from LaMancha, has a soft spot for animals, and he admires the work done by rescue organizations. "(I learned that one rescue) lost an animal that needed an expensive surgery because they could not raise the funds in time," he stated. "That should never happen. These animal rescues are at capacity almost 100% of the time, and a lot of times they are over capacity."

A future goal of the organization is to focus on animals that are less likely to be adopted - seniors, bonded pairs and those with special needs. "We are trying to sponsor hard-to-adopt animals," Thorington stated. "Some rescues don't permit you to sponsor adoption fees. In that case, we will give a care package - a Chewy gift card or food to go home with (the new pet owners)."

"My big dream is to have an animal sanctuary someday geared toward those types of animals," he added.

For more information about Rescue and Recover, including volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.rescueandrecover.org. Merchandise, including the leash holders, dog toys and more, is available on the website. More information about the organization can be found at http://www.facebook.com/RescueAndRecoverr or by emailing RescueAndRecover@gmail.com.