Gina Torres walks her housepet Yona, an 11-year old Chow mixed breed that she rescued three years ago, on her farm in Evensville, Tenn.EVENSVILLE, Tenn. – As a child, Gina Torres believed rescuing stray animals was her destiny.
“I came [into this world] with a mission,” she said.
Torres’ first pet was a yellow Labrador retriever. From there, her love for animals grew, and she talked her parents into taking in a duck, a sheep, cat and dog at her small home in Miami.
Now living in Evensville, she has rescued a donkey, a mule, seven dogs and 25 cats over the last three years. She lives about 15 minutes from the city, and some of the animals – mostly cats – have been dumped near her home. She feels compelled to give them shelter and nurse the injured or sick back to health.
One perk for her – aside from helping the animals have “a safe haven” – is that she doesn’t find rats or snakes or her property, unless they’ve already been taken care of by the cats.
“I can’t turn my back on them,” she said with a laugh.
Her boyfriend, Colin Tomsey, who helps with the rehabilitation, said giving the animals medicine “takes two to get the job done.”
Once the sick animals are healed, Torres tries to find them a home within three or four months.
She works with the Dayton branch of the Almost Home Pet Foundation to meet some of the animals’ needs. The foundation partners with local organizations to help with low-cost spaying and neutering to prohibit overpopulation or the mistreatment of unwanted animals.
Monthly costs for food and cat litter average $260, Torres said, while the immunization shots vary per animal.
She receives food donations two or three times a year, she said.
“My goal is to have a wildlife rescue shelter in the future,” she said.
That dream waits for the $1,500 to $2,000 that she needs for the application process.
While Torres will take in animals, Jeff Knight, special projects manager with the Rhea County Sheriff’s Office, said people also can contact the Rhea County Animal Shelter in Evensville or the sheriff’s office central dispatch if strays are in the neighborhood.
If the animals are injured, he said, do not try to help them yourself.
“We’ve gotten many off the streets,” he said.
Kimberly McMillian is based in Rhea County. Contact her at kdj424@bellsouth.net