MORO — For Teresa Farmer, 49, having a small family-owned business, Teresa’s Cat and Dog Rescue, is something she can feel proud of. It might not be the most typical business to run from home, but as an animal lover, it’s the perfect job for her.
“I started my business eight years ago when a gentleman in Wasco passed away and nobody was aware of his dog who was left by itself for two months,” she said. “I went to get the dog and that was my first-ever rescue. And then the business just started to increase from that point on.”
Farmer said that there are similar organizations throughout the state, but there aren’t many in the Gorge.
“We’re the only rescue organization in Sherman County,” she said. “We take in stray and abandoned dogs from Oregon, Washington and California too. We try to get them as often as we can before they are euthanized for no reason.”
Farmer is a 1994 Hood River Valley High School graduate and mother of three adult sons.
It’s been a growing venture for Farmer, husband Brien, and volunteer Kellie Fitzpatrick, who lives in The Dalles.
There are currently 17 kittens, ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months old, and 14 cats, ages 3-19 years. The 15 dogs on site range from 1-6 years, she added. All are eligible for adoption.
Farmer keeps the animals in her home instead of a kennel to help get them ready for adoption. “We feed them all together and we make sure that we don’t have animals who are aggressively eating,” she said. Animals also get their shots.
Adoption fees range from $250-$350, but she doesn’t charge to pick them up, whether found or surrendered — unless there is a medical issue involved, for which there’s a $50 fee to help offset the costs.
This isn’t her only job — since her business is a nonprofit, she also works as a contractor for the United States Postal Service, delivering the mail six days a week.
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