Always the Fighter: Bring all the Broken

by Amy Barnes

It is the dog frozen to a tree that is emblazoned on Ann Saler’s memory.

She recalls all too well the vision of the dog tied to the tree on her family’s property, just out of sight of the house, and left to die. Its stiffened, lifeless body hopelessly stuck to the tree.

The hope of rescue gone hours or days before its body was discovered and destined to be there until temperatures warmed and the body could be removed.

Saler said her brother found the dog and came running into the house, yelling for her.

“When your big brother yells for you, you gotta go,” Saler said.

Her brother led her into the woods, where the dog had waited through the cold, huddled against the tree it was tied to, hoping its human would return.

Saler never discovered who left the dog or why. Those are questions that may never have their answers. She said it is possible that someone knew she took in dogs and thought she would find it in time.

She was only 9 years old.

The anger and heartbreak from that day so long ago sticks with her, drives her, and makes it impossible for her to rest.

Every time she thinks she is too tired, too overwhelmed to continue rescuing dogs and fighting against abuse, the vision of the dog frozen to the tree comes to her and she gathers her strength and courage and answers the next call for help.

It, quite possibly, is the driving force that made it so she survived no matter what was thrown at her. Saler’s animal rescue efforts actually began when she was around 5 years old.

She says she started rescuing dogs “as soon as I could walk home from school.”

Saler would bring home stray dogs she would find on her way home from school and hide them from her parents. Her parents would end up giving permission for the rescues to stay but Saler was on her own to figure out how to care for them.

Without any kind of training or knowledge of how to set bones, Saler would use popsicle sticks to set the broken bones of any rescues that needed it.

She depended on, of all things, skills she learned from making gumdrop rockets.

In sixth grade, she had learned to build rockets out of gumdrops and toothpicks. She practiced learning how to stabilize the rockets using toothpicks so they would stand straight. To her, it was a simple matter to then take that knowledge and set an injured animal’s bones.

Facing Down Sylvester Stallone

For seven years, 2009 to 2016, Saler drove the highways as a semi-truck driver, shoulderto-shoulder with the male drivers. She hated everything about driving the big rigs.

She said that then, and still now, it is no place for a woman.

As a former semi-truck driver, she knows how to hold her own and there is no hesitation in her step when confronting even the largest and toughest of people.

But long before working as a truck driver, she proved her grit. When she was but 15 years old, she took on Sylvester Stallone.

At age 13, Saler was in the foster child program in Cleveland because of abuse within her home. She refused to attend school, saying she “never got along well with others.”

As most stories with Saler start, she found a dog. The dog needed a home and after being told she could not keep the dog, she ran away from the foster home.

At 14 years old, Saler was living on the Cleveland streets, homeless and pregnant.

She did not know she was pregnant. She thought she might have a kidney infection, until a doctor performed a pregnancy test.

Saler had no understanding of what being pregnant entailed or the medical care she might need.

With her limited understanding of pregnancy, she did not understand the magnitude of what she was facing. To her, “being pregnant was like catching a cold, I didn’t know what it was all about,” Saler said. She would split whatever food she could find with Peppy, the dog she had taken in.

She learned how to survive on the streets and made friends with others who lived there.

In the final trimester of her pregnancy, Saler got a job delivering auto parts on a bicycle for a Champion auto parts store that was owned by Richie “The Torch” Giachetti.

According to a 2016 obituary by Steve Bunce in The Independent, Giachetti had gone from being an enforcer in the Cleveland underworld to a boxing trainer who trained Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson. He also helped Don King promote Muhammad Ali.

He earned the nickname The Torch from the FBI because he happened to be in the area of arsons numerous times, Bunce wrote.

Giachetti also had fought as an amateur fighter and was familiar with the local gyms. He is quoted in the article as saying he was an enforcer for a union trucking company’s drivers.

Saler said that Giachetti and his wife, Nancy, owned the Round 15 bar and restaurant in Cleveland. In exchange for her cleaning up after closing, they gave Saler an apartment above the bar to live in.

When her son was born, Giachetti bought a crib and clothes for the baby.

“He and his family were very good and helpful to me in such a horrific time of my life. I will forever be grateful for them all. It also opened up so many other opportunities later in the years from the generosity of people he and his family knew,” Saler shared.

“I was never ‘star struck’ simply because I never really watched TV and still to this day don’t. So they were not famous people to me, they became my friends and opened the doors I needed to live a comfortable and, being so young, safe life. He gave me a roof over my head and money…most times his wife would leave sandwiches from the kitchen they opened in the rear of the bar at that time for me when I would clean so I would as well eat.” continued from Page 5

One day, Giachetti was having a bad day. He informed his entire staff that he was not to be disturbed, no matter who should come to the door. Saler took him quite literally.

“Being just a little fish in such a huge pond. I absolutely was not gonna let him be disturbed. I was waiting on my next delivery when I saw a really long white limousine pull up on the side of the building.

“As I seen it, my thoughts were not “WOW,” it was more like strange to see such a vehicle like that in the area. And then I watch as about five people exited the vehicle and a guy walked in asking for Mr. Giachetti.

“Well. Absolutely no way, as I needed my job so badly, was he gonna be disturbed. He was not in a good mood, and I just was not letting ANYONE bother him. Well, turned out it was Sylvester Stallone

“I had no clue who that was even though ‘Rocky,’ was at the time his name maker. But I had no knowledge of movie stars, nor did I care.”

Not having any money for a TV or movies, Saler had no idea who Stallone was and she says she would not have cared if she did.

What she did know was that this man was trying to see her boss, and she had been ordered not to disturb Giachetti.

She ended up telling Stallone that he would have to go himself to disturb Giachetti because she definitely was NOT.

Once her son was born, Saler lived in constant fear her baby would be taken from her and thrown into the foster care system she had run from. She credits the Giachettis and their support for making it so she was able to keep and raise her son.

She didn’t

Stay in Vegas

(but she also only grins about any escapades there)

As a teenager, Saler wanted a change and to have some fun so she headed for Las Vegas.

“I went to Vegas because I was young and I wanted to have some fun, and I did,” Saler said, with a grin and no further explanation.

What ended up sticking with her from that trip, though, was a dog that was living on the streets. The image of him kept haunting her long after she left, and she knew she had to do something.

In 2004, she returned and founded Street Dogz in Vegas to match dogs who were living alone on the street with humans who were doing the same.

This matching of dog to human led to her also helping the street people, whom she viewed as her tribe after having previously lived on the streets of Cleveland and calls them all “my street friends.”

“I always have a problem with ‘homeless’,” Saler said, uncomfortable with the term.

With the help of volunteers and donations, they would visit the homeless and give them clothes, personal supplies, travel-sized hygiene items, and inspirational notes all packed in reusable bags.

By helping and talking to the people, Saler would discover who had dogs and give them supplies for their pets and pay for neutering, as well.

Having a dog makes sure the street people have something to love and care for, which Saler remembers the value of from when she was living on the street with Peppy.

She funded the nonprofit by flipping apartments, condos and houses in Laughlin, Nevada, an hour and a half from Las Vegas.

While Street Dogz became self-sufficient in 2014, Saler still regularly goes to Vegas, hauling supplies and being there for the monthly Giving Day.

Before she boards the plane, she is sometimes pulled aside by security for having two full carry-on luggage pieces.

The luggage is full of chew bones and other supplies for the street dogs.

Saler leaves the luggage behind in Vegas with the street people because it is illegal for dogs in Vegas to not wear dog boots. Since this is a little difficult for the street people to comply with, they convert the wheeled luggage pieces into dog carriers.

Pawsome Style

In 2015, Saler had decided to create a home base in Medina to serve as an adoption and training center and a place for the rescued dogs to be cared for before being sent to foster homes.

There was a home going to auction in a sheriff’s sale that seemed perfect, at least price wise! Hers was the winning bid, but she won more than just the house. She also won the job of removing the squatters who had been living there and thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the entire house.

Interestingly, the house became another brush

Ann Saler beside her memory cabinet, where the remains and mementos from dogs who passed are kept. She is holding the ashes of Daisy and Cujo. Cujo was the first dog that Saler rescued. For Daisy, she had to take a seat out of her truck and leave it in a Dumpster in Tennessee to make room for her. photo by Amy with a famous person for Saler.

It turns out that the luxurious home originally was built by Bruce McBroom using proceeds from his famous photo of Farrah Fawcett in her red swimsuit in 1976, Saler said. She added that people still stop by during nice weather to take pictures of the house.

In 2019, Saler officially founded Rescue Me Pawsome Style to provide funds for neutering services, food, medical care, and anything else someone needs help with to give the dogs good care and help make it so owners can maintain ownership.

Volunteers will even walk dogs for senior citizens.

The top reason people give up their dogs is because they cannot afford the food or medications the dogs need, Saler said.

Currently, she helps 500 dogs a month with food. She is careful of people’s pride and after she is

Holding onto squirming puppies are, from left, Rob Johnson, apprentice trainer; Marissa Nugent, volunteer; Ann Saler, founder; Chuck Johnson, head trainer; Cathy Tulley, volunteer Rob and Chuck Johnson are brothers who came to Saler after participating in a program through the prisons that connects dogs and prisoners for training and rehabilitation. photo by Amy continued from Page 7 contacted for help, she will leave a bag of dog food roadside in front her house so pickup can be anonymous.

Into the Darkness

While she rescues local dogs, she also drives across the country, visiting shelters and picking up dogs that are on death row, sleeping in her van with the dogs she is rescuing.

As a result, people across the country now call Saler for help because they know she will come and that nothing and no one will stop her from rescuing a dog.

One of the calls Saler responded to in 2009 was for a little dog she named Buddy.

The call was reporting dog abuse in Cleveland. When Saler arrived on the scene, a very large man came to the door and refused to let Saler see the dog.

Saler was not giving up. She looked at the broomstick in the man’s hand. She saw a small dog cowering in the background.

As the man turned and lifted his hand to bring the broomstick down on Buddy, Saler grabbed the broomstick and refused to allow the man to hit the little dog again.

After a terse exchange, Saler was able to grab the dog and leave the premises.

Buddy, as he became known as, had been stabbed in the head, had 14 broken bones, a broken leg, an eye hanging out of its socket, a broken jaw, and weighed 15 ounces at 3 years old.

He was put in a coma for 2 weeks as vets desperately tried to save his life. No one thought Buddy would survive, but Saler was there, urging him to heal.

Even Dick Goddard, a well-known local TV newscaster and animal activist during his lifetime, got involved in helping to provide care for Buddy.

Little Buddy survived his ordeal and found a home with Saler. Although he still shakes and is easily frightened, he is now a ripe 16 years old, still going strong and one of the loves of Saler’s life.

Saler also rescued Beau, who was stabbed more than 100 times with an ice pick and then thrown out a moving car’s window.

Another rescue was Molly. Her owners surrendered her after she had developed mastitis. By the time Saler was called in, the infection was so bad that the glands had started splitting open, up and down the length of the dog. Her puppies were still trying to nurse.

If left to the authorities, Molly would have been put to sleep because there was a lack of funds and personnel to deal with such extensive injuries in the shelter. Without their mom, the puppies also would have been put to sleep, said Saler.

Saler was having none of that.

She carefully loaded the family into her vehicle, brought them home, and with the help of volunteer foster families, provided the care and love they needed.

The puppies are now boisterous bundles of energy, and mom, well, mom has recovered from her life-saving surgery and is ready for a new home.

Saler readily admits that not all dogs can be helped.

Sometimes, despite all best efforts, there is something broken in a dog’s brain. Dogs can have mental illnesses just like people do, she said.

Rescuing death-row dogs means running the risk of dealing with a violent or psychotic dog, Saler said.

For the dogs who “do not play well with others,” Saler provides funding for a special place to live out their lives called Our Happy Place Sanctuary in Tennessee.

There currently are 44 dogs living there with a family who takes care of them.

When No One Can Hear You Scream

The COVID shutdown became a social experiment in how humans would handle suddenly being closed into living quarters with whoever was standing there at the time. It also became a study in frustration, fear, panic, and uncertainty.

No one talks about it much. Not in day-to-day lives anyway. The dark side of the intensity of what humans, a very social animal, went through during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Day after day confined to homes with contact suddenly and dramatically limited to masked humans and electronic devices, going through each day with the uncertainty of knowing when the shutdown would end.

The shutdown was so sudden that some ended up confined with someone they had been on a first date with or someone simply visiting for a few days or spouses in the midst of divorce.

It was a world in shock as a pandemic swept the world and people were rapidly getting sick and dying.

While many tried to make the best of it, finding ways to entertain their children, ways to still have a short break from the other humans they were closed up with by retreating alone to a room or exercising outside, away from others; some took another route to handling the fear, stress and anxiety and they turned on the helpless who were confined with them.

Few outside of animal rescues or children services will talk about what happened when the doors closed.

The rise of frustration, desperation and fear looked for an outlet and far too many times it found it in the pets and children that also were confined, trapped with their abusers. There no longer was a chance of escape and little chance of someone noticing the injuries.

Sharon Holmes, the children services manager at Medina County Job and Family services said there was a definite rise in child abuse during the shutdown with part of the problem being that the children were not going to school or to other places in person where injuries had a chance of being noticed and reported.

Saler said that she saw horrific cases of animal abuse. One dog she rescued had four broken legs and it wasn’t the first time the legs had been broken. X-rays revealed that there had been multiple breaks per leg that healed without medical care and then each leg was repeatedly rebroken.

The anger that takes for a person to snap a dog’s leg, not just once, but over and over again, leaving continued from Page 9 the dog to suffer and try to mend on its own.

While abuse existed long before the COVID shutdown, the isolation caused by the shutdown closed doors to the eyes of would-be rescuers while it opened the doors to the freedom to abuse at will with little to no fear of being caught.

Many social workers and animal rescue organizations have been dealing with the aftermath of what was done during the lockdown from March 15, 2020 to approximately late May 2020 and the varying restrictions that followed.

There also was an increase in pet sales during the shutdown as many, faced with the unknown and the uncertainty of when everything would “return to normal” or if anything would ever be normal again, decided they now had time for a pet.

Pet purchases soared while those in pet rescue organizations, such as Ann Saler, held their breath for what they were sure would come once doors opened again and people returned to their busy lives and no longer had time for those pets.

During COVID, there also were the usual adoptees, those who were going to adopt a dog anyway, but it was difficult for people to go out and adopt dogs, so Saler held an adoption event at her house with staggered meets and greats. There were 29 dogs up for adoption that day. All 29 were adopted into new homes.

As the world opened back up and people returned to their former lives and schedules, the COVID dogs, pregnant and otherwise, were taken to shelters, Saler said.

Shelters have become overwhelmed, Saler said. She rarely accepts owner surrenders, preferring that owners work to find homes for their pets so she can focus on saving as many as possible from death row.

Where There is Hope

Most dogs Saler rescues are death-row dogs, dogs that have been determined to be unadoptable for a variety of reasons, such as medical needs and pregnancy, from the shelters.

Saler said that each dog deserves the chance to prove differently.

Just as dogs deserve a second chance, Saler said humans who have been given up on deserve a second chance as well.

Which is why parollees, former inmates, and those on probation also are involved in Saler’s efforts.

“I think everybody deserves a second chance,” she said, her chin in the air, defiant to anyone who might dare argue with her.

Through the dog training program at the prisons and through the Medina Probation Department, Saler brings humans who need healing and rehabilitation and something to love and care about into the work of the nonprofit.

This is how Chuck Johnson became her top trainer. He was incarcerated and joined the prison dog training program a year ago.

He has a girlfriend, Cathy Tulley, and together they foster and train some of Saler’s rescues.

Johnson’s brother, Rob, is an apprentice trainer and joined Rescue Me Pawsome Style four years ago, in the same way as Chuck did.

“We don’t discriminate against anyone, even if it’s a cat!” she said, laughing.

Interestingly, at the top of the sweeping stairs within the dog rescue, is a huge painting of a white Persian cat. Why? Well, Saler liked the painting, and no one is going to argue with this woman who once drove the big rigs.

One of the ways the organization raises funds for its rescues is to sell small rubber ducks at fairs, craft shows and events.

The ducks are adorned with various hats and accessories and sell for $2 each. Jeep owners who like to leave ducks on other Jeeps have found them irresistible, Saler says, and it has spread to people going on cruises with it becoming the new fad to leave little rubber ducks on ships.

Last year, the organization added a second fundraiser: taking pictures of pets with Santa Claus. The donations from that event helped Saler keep the nonprofit going. She said winters are the hardest time for nonprofits.

Often, Saler will supplement funds for Rescue Me Pawsome Style through her job as a floor waxer. All funds donated to the nonprofit go to helping the animals, there is not one paid position.

“I don’t need money, I have my own (from working),” Saler said.

She strips and waxes floors in commercial and medical buildings, and has since she was 19. She said it is work that suits her free spirit.

“I am so unemployable!” she said, adding, “I don’t play well with others.”

That may be, but she never lets anything be an obstacle either, not even after seven brain surgeries.

Saler has a blood flow problem in her head and has thinning of her brain’s arteries. Two synthetic arteries have been implanted in her brain to handle the overflow of blood. Every day, she must have a shot administered through her stomach in order to keep the fluids flowing in her brain.

“Anyone who has ever had brain surgery knows you never have just one,” Saler said, with a grin.

It is her indomitable spirit that sets the tone for those around her and her great love that she readily shares with all that brings others into her circle and convinces them that they can accomplish greatness.

For more rescue stories, complete with before and after photos, and information about Rescue Me Pawsome Style, how to donate and its efforts, visit https://bit.ly/3n8jAip or https://www. rescuemepawsomestyle.org/ continued from Page 11

Rescue Me Pawsome Style

Medina, Oh. 44256

Phone: 216-825-1000

Web address: https://www.rescuemepawsomestyle.org/

Date of formation: 6/12/2019

Organization type: 501c3

Description of Organization’s Purpose: The corporation’s mission is to help pets rehabilitate through foster placement, adoption, transport, low-cost spay/neuter programs, high-quality veterinary care, community outreach, pet food pantries, education, and related services, including but not limited to: temporary shelter, overpopulation prevention, and healthy pet education.

Is the organization’s registration status current? Yes

The financial information below is from the organization’s most recent filing within the on-line system. If the items below are blank, the organization has not yet filed information online or they may be exempt from filing an annual report.

Reporting Year: 2021

Reporting Start Date: 1/1/2021

Reporting End Date: 12/31/2021

Total Revenue: $32,000.00

Total Expenses: $46,000.00

Total Program Expenses: $46,000.00

Percent of Total Expenses: 100 percent

Total Assets: $356.00

Director or Board Member List: Martha Ann Ball

Once up for sale in a sheriff’s sale and once the home of squatters, this local luxurious home originally was built by Bruce McBroom using proceeds from his famous photo of Farrah Fawcett in her red swimsuit in 1976, Ann Saler said. The home now serves as headquarters for Rescue Me Pawsome Style, but people still stop by and take pictures of the home for its connection to the famous photo, Saler said. photos by Amy Barnes