The story of the Ark Animal Sanctuary is one of

homecoming and hard work, heartbreak and hope.

On homecoming: I grew up in Houlton but moved away, got married, and started my own small business — a pet grooming salon — in the carriage house of our <<WHERE>> home. When my parents passed away, I couldn’t stand the idea of selling the family home…the place where I grew up and that still held a special place in my heart. So after a lot of consideration with my husband, Bobby, we decided to come home. I loved pet grooming, so we purchased a building in the heart of Houlton’s historic downtown and opened Hollywood Pet Salon. I’ve always supported animal rescues through my grooming work, but once I came home, I felt a need inside of me to do more and make a bigger difference. The seed of the Ark was planted and watered with my belief that if you work hard and believe in your dreams, you can achieve anything.

On hard work: The Ark was founded in 2009, and we received our non-profit status shortly thereafter. While we didn’t have a facility or any volunteers, we did have a very clear mission and lots of determination. One day, a client who had been following our journey approached me with an incredible offer — a perfect 40-acre parcel of land just 2.5 miles from town that she was willing to sell with low-interest owner financing.

We got to work on clearing the land and planning the next phase of our journey. The local newspaper published an article about the Ark in which I asked the community if anyone had an old building they would be willing to donate…and the morning that the article appeared, a gentleman came to my front door to offer a small camp that was all ours if we could move it to the site. My husband checked it out and declared it perfect for our needs, so we put a plan in motion to get it moved. I’d never moved a house before, but we figured it out! A local business owner who sold mobile homes offered to transport the building, which had to be cut in half, more than twenty miles to our new land. Bobby spent the next six months preparing the building to be moved, working diligently on this project in addition to his full-time job.

Finally, one snowy day in early 2013, the building made the trip to our property. What a gratifying feeling to finally set our new building down on our land! We excitedly began the hard work of putting the building back together and renovating it — making sure that it was set up according to the state’s requirements. When it was finished, it had so much charm and warmth, and even though it was small, it served our needs. We were so proud.

On November 3, 2013, we celebrated our grand opening and everyone came out to wish us well. It was such a wonderful day, one I will always remember.

On heartbreak: I will also always remember March 12, 2014. At 3 a.m., we received a call that the Ark was on fire. We rushed out to the Sanctuary only to be stopped at the road, where all we could do was watch our hopes and dreams go up in smoke. The fire moved fast and took everything. We’d moved sixteen of our cats to the Sanctuary, and I knew on the way there that they wouldn’t survive. This was the hardest part of it all — a building could be replaced, but those lives were lost forever. We had rescued them and promised to take care of them, and now we would never see them again.

That whole day was a blur. It was impossible to think clearly, to consider rebuilding, to continue the hard work that had brought us here. I remember telling one of the volunteers that it was all gone, the Ark was gone. She hugged me through our tears and said something I will never forget: “The Ark is not gone. It’s still here inside each and every one of us. We’re still here, so the Ark is still here.” Those words inspired me to continue.

People of the tiny little town that I grew up in came to help. They held fundraisers, donated auction items and money, and opened their hearts to us. Our story spread on social media, and soon, artists from around the world got together to paint pictures of the cats lost in the fire. They became known as The Beloved 16: Pete, Beau, Tommy, Austin, Hector, Jerome, Gaston, GC Marilyn, Esmeralda, Bobbi, Trudy, Mary Lou, Tonka ,and Echo. Every day the mail would come, and every day, I would cry as I opened yet another portrait of the Beloved 16. These portraits — from Spain, the Netherlands, and all over the United States — were such a special healing gift, and there are no words to say how thankful I was.

On hope: After taking time to mourn, our journey started once again. This time, we took inspiration from the Beloved 16. We drew up plans for a new building and, using money from insurance and hundreds of generous donors, began construction of a 3000 square-foot facility. Ashes from the fire were mixed into the foundation of our new building. We took our time, raising additional funds as we needed to avoid taking a mortgage.

On November 3, 2016, a little more than two years after the fire, the Ark held its second grand opening. We invested in a security system to protect the future, and we hung the portraits of the Beloved 16 in the hallway to remember the past. Soon, the multiple cat rooms would house more than fifty cats. And in the backyard, we erected a one-room chapel to pay tribute to the Beloved 16 and to provide animal lovers a place of comfort and solace. It has been the perfect way to remember those we’ve lost.

All of this was achieved with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. We never gave up, even when it would have been easier than continuing on. We pushed forward in the face of defeat, and we are so proud of what we have accomplished.

But the story doesn't end there. Not only have many generous donors helped us to pay off the land, we were also honored by the gift of a complete veterinary clinic set-up when a local veterinarian, Dr. Laurel Pinales, retired. This has opened the door to a new phase for the Ark: we recently purchased a new three-bedroom mobile home, which we converted to an on-site vet clinic at the sanctuary. It’s a beautiful, fully-appointed space…we just need to find a vet that shares our vision and wants to begin a practice here in Houlton, a community that doesn’t have enough veterinary care for the animals it loves.

Today, our mission to provide for animals in need continues. I hope you will consider being a part of it by adopting, donating, or supporting us through a variety of community and online events.