to donate my time, and then one day she asked if I would keep a border collie and foster it.” O’Neill wasn’t familiar with the foster process but was happy to help. “It was so fun that I did another and then another and then another,” she said. “Before I knew it, the years had gone by and most of the original founding women had burned out, aged out or passed on. Eventually I found myself in charge.” For a long time, O’Neill was coor- dinating everything, with the support of family, friends and longtime volun- teers and foster caregivers. But re- cently, Erin Willard came on board to help with accounting as well as open her home for animals. Gigi Grant also helps with administrative duties. Willard has known O’Neill for nearly 20 years and started as a fos- ter caregiver. In the past, she adopted through an- other rescue organization but found the process to be overly complex. “That one required two or three meetings, home visits and more. It went on for weeks,” Willard said. “People got tired, and dogs got tired. Here, if you meet the basic require- ments and everything checks out, you can take home a dog that day. Or, you may not qualify even if you applied.” She said O’Neill does a thorough job of investigating and matching prospective owners and has also created a great village of support- ive volunteers. >> Get involved O’Neill is sometimes asked if Sec- ond Chance could grow to help even more pets. She hopes not. “I decided many years ago it would just be best to stay very small, and I’ve become extremely efficient, so that’s what I did,” she said. “I don’t think people really understand the
SAGE A German Shorthaired Pointer, Sage boarded at Second Chance.
difficulty of dealing with the fine bal - ance of juggling family/spouses, your own pets and a constantly revolving door of rescue dogs. So many people want to save them all, or adopt them all. Neither is realistic.” For people who aren’t sure about their commitment, O’Neill and Wil- lard suggest trying fostering first. Shelters or rescue organizations may even pay for veterinary care, pet food and supplies. O’Neill loves hearing from past adoptees, especially those who want to adopt again.
She also continues to encour- age everyone to spay or neuter their animals, which cuts down on the animal population and helps maxed-out shelters. “We just keep plugging away,” she said. “I haven’t been part of any huge undertakings of dogs like with hur- ricanes or fires. That’s not for me. Small, private, one at a time. That’s the way to stay sane.” N
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