Sinbad Sadie was brought to life in 2014 by Kym Wallace.  She was on the board, as well as a volunteer, for another shelter and was saddened by the plight of the overcrowded facility.  “We had been working with a group of hounds for several months that had come in through animal control as cruelty cases.” Kym said.  “One day the shelter became overcrowded and dogs were waiting outside in the animal control trucks so they pulled Sinbad and Sadie [two of the shelter residents] into the euthanasia room.  This happened many times while I was volunteering there so I decided to do something about the animals being put down, mostly due to overcrowding.”  Kym took action and spoke to a few key people who she knew had an interest in the rescue community and Sinbad Sadie Second Chance Rescue was born.  

Kym grew up in North Carolina surrounded by animals and her love for them began at an early age.  She told me “I cannot remember a time when there was not at least one dog, cat, rabbit or gerbil at my house.”  After receiving degrees in Exercise Science, Biology and Health Education, she and her military husband began their adventures moving around the country.  They eventually settled in South Carolina, where Kym is now an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston.  

Sinbad Sadie is certainly a labor of love.  The logistics of running a rescue can be quite overwhelming.  At any one time, the rescue group has about 30 dogs and cats in foster care.  Most of their animals come from county shelters.   “Animals from Colleton County and Orangeburg County make up most of intakes but we have also taken in quite a few from Horry County, Greenville County, Columbia and Francis Willis SPCA in Summerville.” states Wallace.  The shelter is 100% volunteer-based.  This means that on top of the myriad of daily tasks - networking with area shelters to locate at-risk animals, finding and screening potential foster families, scheduling veterinary appointments, transporting animals, maintaining a presence on the web and social media, arranging meet-and-greets with adopters, performing home visits and fundraising - the staff have other jobs and family obligations as well!  

Since this is a non-profit organization, the shelter relies entirely on donations to fund their work.  Kym told me that the highest percentage of their funds go towards veterinary care.  “Most of the animals we take in have not been spayed or neutered and many have heartworms, broken bones or other medical issues.”  Other costs may include boarding, if a foster family cannot be immediately located, and supplies, such a crates and medication.  The shelter also has some sponsors in the community - Pet Supplies Plus, Petland and Petco - that help with supplies and emergency housing as well as two veterinary clinics - Best Friends Animal Clinic and Trolley Road Animal Clinic - that provide most of the medical care.  

When it comes to adoptions, Sinbad Sadie does all they can to make sure that each animal is placed in the best home possible.  “All potential adopters complete an application first.  We run a vet check if they have other animals and a landlord check if they are renters.  We then do a home visit.  If all goes well, the dog enters a seven day trial period with the family.  At the end of seven days, the dog is adopted or returned to foster.”  Cat adoptions are similar, except a home visit is usually not performed.    All animals adopted out are spayed/neutered, microchipped and current on their vaccinations.  They have also been treated for any major medical issues.  Fees for adoption are $150 for dogs and $80 for cats and this includes one month of heartworm prevention to get you started on the right path to caring for the new addition to your family.  

If you are interested in helping Sinbad Sadie Second Chance Rescue advance their mission, there are several ways to participate.  First, you can become a foster parent to one of their animals-in-need.  This begins with filling out a foster application and facilitating an initial home visit, where the entire process is explained.  Your obligations are to provide a safe, comfortable indoor home for the animal.  If you can take on the expenses of food and medical care, that is greatly appreciated, however, if you cannot afford to do so, the shelter will provide those things for the animal, as well as heartworm and flea prevention.  They can even help with transport to veterinary offices, if needed.  

Another way to contribute is by volunteering your time!  Sinbad Sadie is always in need of people to help with fundraising, adoption events and transportation as well as other tasks that may arise.  You must be 18 years of age to volunteer and complete a volunteer application and agreement.  Children may accompany their parents with a signed waiver.  

A third way to contribute is with monetary donations. These will allow the rescue to pay for medical bills, heartworm and flea prevention and countless other items needed to keep a successful operation going.  Donations can be made directly to their veterinary partners - Best Friends Animal Clinic and Trolley Road Animal Clinic - via Paypal, through their website (www.sinbadsadierescue.org) or a check (made out to SSSCR) can be mailed directly to them at 10070 Dorchester Road, #50641, Summerville, SC, 29485.  In the future, Sinbad Sadie is also planning to launch a sustainable giving campaign that will allow people to give automatically every month.  

The support of the local community is also invaluable.  Sinbad Sadie has many upcoming events for you to attend!  They have an adoption event almost every weekend at various spots throughout the Lowcountry.  Also, mark your calendars for their first anniversary celebration on January 30th from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm at Westcott Ball Park!!   For more information, you can visit their website and check the events schedule.  

Hopefully this is the beginning of many successful years of rescue for Sinbad Sadie.  Kym says they are already focusing on their goals for the new year.  “Our goals for 2016 are to increase the number of animals placed into homes by 50% and to begin a building fund campaign so that we can buy or rent a facility.”  This will allow them to save even more lives.  “Thousands of adoptable companion animals are euthanized in the US every day due to lack of space available in shelters and the failure to spay and neuter.  We can make a difference in SC by networking, educating, and pushing for spay/neuter laws to ease overpopulation.”  

Please visit www.sinbadsadierescue.org to read more about this wonderful organization and to learn more about fostering, adopting and donating!