Lowcountry Dog Rescue Spotlight- Kind Keeper

WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA HELMS, Social Media Manager

Kind Keeper No-Kill Animal Rescue is fairly new and one you may have never heard of yet. But after this article, I hope to spread light and awareness to a rescue that, despite the conditions and hardships, still makes miracles happen. Every single day.

Creating a non-profit no-kill animal shelter was only a spontaneous idea by current director Belinda Mairowicz and it quickly became a passion. It only took a few years after moving to the Grand Strand and lots of praying before she decided she could and she must! Then, in June of 2014, Kind Keeper Animal Rescue was born. Kind Keeper was named to embody the essence of Belinda’s mission – “a giving heart, a spirit of loving-kindness for God’s creatures, and a conviction that we are responsible for nurturing and protecting domesticated companion animals who depend on human care’, Leanne Dornseif, their Marketing/Event Coordinator writes.

In 2015, they officially got to start remodeling the shelter site located at 1500 LD Drive in North Myrtle Beach. This was no easy time for those involved in this amazing project, considering it was being used as a daycare prior, a little ironic considering they still have lots of needy babies to take care of every day. This was a stressful time for Kind Keeper as they began raising money, renovating the building, marketing, and ultimately opening the doors to serve the needs of homeless dogs and cats. Later that year, animals were finally accepted into the shelter, and the anticipation was real! It must have been quite a task turning a daycare into a fully functioning no-kill animal rescue, and the dedication shines through brightly.

I had the pleasure of visiting this quaint rescue and was impressed with the light-hearted moods of each staff member I was introduced to. In their Marketing Coordinator Leanne’s words, “We are a team, and we all work well together and do our best to help each other out. Everyone works hard to help rehabilitate each animal that we take in. We are also extremely grateful to have so much support from our community because we could not do what we do without our community’s support.” On my tour with Leanne it was easy to see they would put down anything they’re doing to make sure all of the animals were taken care of. The key to a successful rescue starts with a passionate crew that deeply cares about each animal that comes into their care.

As I was touring the place, I was so impressed with the comfort level of the animals, as well as the utilization and organization of the “staff only” areas, despite what little space they have to work with for now. I was also happily surprised by all the puppies! There were two new sets of litters separated in the different “whelping rooms” used only for litters of puppies or puppies and their mamas. They also had two new intake pups in their lobby office, and they always have one or two in the office. While I also met some older and adult dogs in the kennel room, puppies are a significant percentage of Kind Keeper’s intake. The handlers of the puppies have to be very careful as they can easily bring in diseases. Puppies are not fully vaccinated and after living in harsh conditions, can be very high risk. Most county shelters in the area don’t like to take puppies in, but Kind Keeper will.

They also take in many animals with medical conditions facing euthanasia in county shelters or that have bad living conditions and pasts. Preparing these types of rescues for adoption is costly and they do everything they possibly can do with limited resources. Thankfully, Kind Keeper does have an area they take all intakes, along with an amazing vet tech and vet tech assistant, where they can test and treat heartworm, ringworm, any intestinal parasites, and mange. Any animals requiring extra vet care or surgery are taken to a local vet, and each animal’s spay or neuter is done at the few clinics Kind Keeper partners within the Myrtle Beach area.

Kind Keeper continues to grow more and more each year. In 2020 and 2021 they were able to find nearly a thousand animals forever homes and currently have up to 120 animals in their care at a time. Kind Keeper has big plans for 2022 and the future. Last year they were finally able to purchase land for a new building. This year they plan to raise money they need to create the facility of their animal-loving dreams. The new location (see above rendering) will have over twice the space allowing more room for more animals in need. The staff will not have to worry about whether or not they can take them or where they can put them. The folks at the rescue are itching to start construction in order to expand and help more animals. Kind Keeper hopes to also have a low-cost animal clinic, a pet food bank to give back to the community, areas for training and grooming, a pet-friendly event space, and so much more! However, expanding is no easy endeavor and will not happen overnight.

They still need to raise almost two million dollars before the new facility’s construction gets started. They are so glad to have tremendous growth and support, and they are not giving up!

Rendering of the new shelter that Kind Keeper hopes to start construction on in 2022.

They are very lucky to have the extremely hardworking staff members and amazing volunteers they do. Leanne says, “One of the best things about Kind Keeper is how all our staff and volunteers have so much passion for what we do here, and everyone cares so deeply for each animal that comes into our care...each of these positions is crucial in running day-to-day operations at Kind Keeper.” Their number one priority at Kind Keeper No-Kill Animal Shelter is to make sure all their animals are loved and cared for.

Their drive for saving and protecting more animals allows them to want to keep expanding. They will be able to save more animals and give them a whole lot more room to rehabilitate, while also giving the staff the space and resources they need and deserve. A day in the life of Kind Keeper is no different from any other: hectic! They are always things to be done and there are so many ways to help and make a difference. Because Kind Keeper is not funded by the state, county, or government, they rely strictly on donations. If you would like to help them reach their goal, donate at kindkeeper.org. The public can also get involved by volunteering at the shelter, attending fundraising events, sharing posts on social media, and of course fostering and adopting. ■