Lowcountry Dog Rescue Spotlight: All4Paws Animal Rescue

WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA HELMS, Social Media Manager

Lowcountry Dog began Rescue Spotlights in 2016, and I am ecstatic to be bringing them back to our readers. These pieces highlight rescues one by one, giving them each the spotlight they deserve! By doing these, we allow the community to get an inside look into all the rescues we feature, a great way to promote volunteering, adopting, fostering, and donating. We kicked off a new series of spotlights last issue with telling you all about the new Berkeley Animal Center and this issue, I’ll be talking about All4Paws Animal Rescue located on Pawleys Island, SC. After speaking with founding director Allison Gillespie and visiting the shelter, I saw first hand how important each individual animal was to her and to everyone who works in the facility.

The mission of All4Paws is to get each animal who comes into the rescue back to health and adopted into a loving home.. All4Paws Animal Rescue focuses on mainly dogs and cats, and the majority of the animals at their shelter and foster homes come from overflowing shelters with high euthanasia rates. This rescue was started back in 2012 with the founders filling their own homes with rescues. After they grew too big for this, they bought the property where they currently house over 30 dogs and 30 cats, and they are always full. Now, All 4 Paws gets around 1,200 animals into homes annually.

With the 10th anniversary of All4Paws coming up in 2022, Gillespie is overflowing with ideas for the shelter. “It is always improving and only getting bigger and better.” says Gillespie. They turned a simple house into a no-kill animal rescue with a training yard, indoor and outdoor pens, an entire cat wing/room/sanctuary, and an on-site Clinic In A Can! They are currently working on making a new quiet room that will be used for meet and greets, finishing their admin offices, and getting a clinic X-Ray machine. They are making constant renovations and improvements to the facility to benefit the animals, the people that work and volunteer, and those who come in to see the animals and adopt.

The latest edition to the rescue is the “Clinic in a Can.” This medical facility was built inside 3 shipping containers and sets just across the street from the main building. It gives them the ability to treat and better care for their rescues. Now, instead of driving with vans full of animals to go as far as Mount Pleasant to get them vetted, they can just walk right across their lot! All 4 Paws has a veterinarian who comes on-site three days a week or more. They can now make sure their animals are spayed and neutered to prevent the needless euthanization we face due to overpopulation. This new facility has given them a 53 percent increase in surgical capacity! They also have a huge training yard where volunteers

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One of the things that came to a surprise was their take on heartworm positive dogs. About 65% of the dogs they take in are heartworm positive and they have worked to develop a treatment protocol that is not only highly effective but cost efficient. They also have a dedicated Parvo program that enlists a small team of volunteers who provide supportive care to an overlooked population. All4Paws does not shy away from the tough cases but runs head first into helping those who need a second chance.

Gillespie says they get messages and calls almost everyday asking for help. They have the drive to save as many animals as possible, but there are the bad, heavy-hearted days when they just can’t. They have loyal fosters who allow more dogs to make it to the shelter by taking the rescues into their own homes. They also have generous donors and dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to aid All 4 Paws mission of saving animals. The dedication among this rescue is incredible and I saw that as I walked through.

If you were wondering how you can give a little support to All4Paws, visit their website at all4pawssc.org or follow them on social media @all4pawssc ■