Rachel K.

My heart has always been connected to animals. As a 3 year old, I helped my dad rehab a baby bird to release, and that spark lit my fire. Growing up on a farm I had the opportunity to be hands on and bottle feed all sorts of animals, from puppies and kittens to goats and cattle. I dreamed of one day being a vet for a zoo. But as you age some things get away from you, we moved into the city and got away from having animals. Through college my career passions changed and I started a family, although we always had a dog or 2, but never the time or space for more. We finally bought a home with some acres by a lake, and the wildlife brought itself into our lives. We often had to get in contact with our local wildlife rehabbers for help with injured or sick wildlife, but our area had recently had a loss of rehabbers due to people moving away and others retiring, there was just not enough help. They asked us to start small and help volunteer some hands on time. And we haven’t stopped since! The reward of reuniting babies with their mommas, to releasing a healthy animal you’ve raised from eyes closed makes all the sleepless nights and hours of preparing formula worth it!