Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue
In 2013 I moved to rural North Dakota a few miles from Canada. I soon realized there was and had never been any kind of animal shelter within 100 miles.
We started Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue on accident. If something is wrong, you can either do something about it, or complain. We did something about it.
TMAR started with a go fund me page called “Saving Grace,” out of a one bedroom house in Rolla ND. We were clueless about animal sheltering and rescue, and had no mentors, or resources, just the will to save lives.
A year and a half later we finished our paperwork to become a 501c3 non profit and an amazing opportunity came our way; the use of a 40x60 building on 233 acres. over the past 7 years, we have learned everything we could and through a lot of blood, sweat, and tears transformed that empty building into a functioning animal shelter.
We have rescued and re-homed over 8000 animals, gone to a half dozen hurricane animal rescue responses, put on four free spay and neuter clinics per year through grants, (and an awesome vet that works for free), eight vaccination clinics a year, a ‘pet food’ food bank, emergency first aid to those who can’t afford it, and a new construction rescue building.
Then in December of 2024 we hit a wall. The land we’re on now is being sold. We turned this building from an empty shell to a place of hope, and we’re going to find a way to keep things going. The owners agreed to donate the building if we buy the land. We just have to come up with the money to buy the land.
The new shelter building we’re working on has a dirt floor, no heat, minimal electric, and well water that is contaminated by a nearby fracking well. It will be years before we get good water. Our only option is to raise the money to buy the current rescue building and land.
Our mission right now is to keep going, to keep saving lives, and keep easing suffering. There’s only one way we can do that and it’s with your help. Down the road we could sell the land, or turn it into an animal sanctuary. Right now we need it to keep going.
“A guy at work told me to stop, now. That people had tried to rescue animals in the past, but everyone gave it up after six months. They all burned out. I remember telling him we were going to build an animal shelter. He laughed and told me, I give it a year.” excerpt from rescue matter
