‘This is my lifelong childhood dream’: Maine animal control officer opening shelter in Washington County
HARRINGTON, Maine (WABI) - A Maine Animal Control Officer has been going above and beyond to help animals in need in Washington County – by running an animal rescue out of her home.
She’s now getting ready to expand to a new location -- and it all started by an unexpected messenger.
Sarah Strout of Harrington wears a lot of hats.
She’s a busy single mom and works for the town as their Animal Control Officer.
“I pick up strays. Sometimes I take owners surrenders or sometimes cases when they’re not even in good homes and we need to get them out of there,” Strout told WABI.
She also runs a nonprofit animal rescue out of her home.
“I schedule visits by appointment and same thing with adoptions,” she said.
The mission of The Messenger Animal Rescue Inc. is simple. Rescue the mistreated. Save the injured and love the abandoned.
“Washington County is pretty rural. There are only two shelters in Washington County, one in Cherryfield and one in Calais. So, there was definitely a need for another one,” Strout said.
“The turn arounds are the most exciting part. If you ever wanted to reach out, you could hear some of the stories of some of these animals and how Sarah has changed their world,” said Sierra Andrews, board member for The Messenger Animal Rescue.
In the last several years Sarah has helped hundreds of animals find loving homes.
In April 2021, Sarah took multiple calls on a stray border collie. Little did she know how much of an impact he would have on her life.
“I named that dog Max, but I always said that he was the ‘Messenger’ because if he hadn’t gotten lose and made his way onto my radar, I might never have known what was going on at that other place,” she said. “It was out of the scope of what I could deal with as a municipal ACO (Animal Control Officer) so I actually called the state department of animal welfare and got them involved. There were some animal cruelty charges that came out of it.”
Sarah’s friend and fellow board member, Linda Gray, and her husband took Max in.
Within a few days, they knew that he had found his forever home.
“He was a special guy. I am pretty honored that I had him. He was a part of our family,” said Gray.
Sarah has since outgrown the space in her home and will soon move to this new shelter being built on Main Street. This new space will be a safe haven for animals in need."
“This has been my lifelong childhood dream and it’s finally happening,” Strout said.
The new shelter will accommodate more animals, providing them with the space to heal.
“I mean, I don’t take in dogs hardly ever at my home just because I have six dogs of my own and it’s too much,” she explained. “So, we’ll be able to accommodate more dogs. There will be room for more cats. We’re going to have a big community cat room area so once they’re fixed and vaccinated, and if they get along with other cats, they can just be free. They don’t have to be in cages anymore.”
The hope is to have the new shelter up and running by fall.
To donate, click here.
Donations can also be mailed to: The Messenger Animal Rescue
PO Box 223
Harrington, ME 04643
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