Find a bargain, adopt a pet

By Zoey McGee | Manor Ink

Liberty, NY – Located on 263 Old Monticello Road in Ferndale is Catskill Animal Rescue Inc., also known as CARE. Their service and dedication have saved many animals around Sullivan County and surrounding areas by rescuing, rehabilitating and finding abandoned, homeless or abused animals a loving and forever home.

“We are pretty small compared to other shelters, but we can hold up to 24 dogs and try to have about ten cats at once,” said Beret Nearing, adoption coordinator at CARE. The rescue shelter primarily houses cats and dogs, “But we will help the occasional lizard or horse, or if a flock of birds needs rehoming.”

Now is your chance to help. On Saturday and Sunday, July 29 and 30, CARE will host its annual yard sale extravaganza. “It is a huge, huge sale,” said Nearing. “There is stuff for everyone – furniture, appliances, knick-knacks, toys, household decor and plenty more.”

If you are not interested in buying anything, you can help by donating stuff for CARE to sell. “We will be taking donations, probably starting in early July, of anything except books and clothing,” Nearing explained. “We depend on donations. So if anybody has anything sitting in the closet that’s in relatively good shape, watch for our announcement on Facebook and all over the place where you can call the shelter and just drop stuff off.”

Tammi Chaboty, secretary of the Board of Directors and volunteer at CARE, told the Ink that the yard sale would include a 50/50 raffle and refreshments. “We have two volunteers, Savannah Chaboty and Zoey McGee, who come and do the lemonade stand for us, and all the proceeds raised are donated to the shelter,” said Chaboty.

Last year’s yard sale was a major success. “We did phenomenally well. We made a little over $24,000 in two days,” Nearing said. She also mentioned how grateful CARE is to the volunteers who helped, and praised Karen Gorr for going through the donations, pricing them and deciding what would sell.

“All the money raised during our fundraisers goes directly to animal care. Every animal adopted is vetted by a local veterinarian. They receive all their shots and microchips, are spayed and neutered, tested for heartworm and tick-borne diseases, and if they’re positive for any of that, they are given medication,” Chaboty said.

Nearing added that those interested in adopting from the shelter can be assured of the pet’s health. “You are pretty much getting a fully vetted animal. And we take any of our animals back if something happens or it is not a fit. Of course, we do want it to be a forever home, but there are things that happen, and we stand behind every animal we have, and we will be there for that animal.”