 Charles Vandergrift
Charles H. Vandegrift lives in southern NJ in Strathmere, a small
barrier island surrounded by the ocean and bay. Charles is retired
from the pet business where he spent most of his career. His
customers consisted of chain stores with a few Mom and Pop
stores - his daughters thought it great that Dad had access to all of
these small animals, resulting in their own mini zoo at home.
His love for dogs goes way back to his childhood, with a Collie
named Laddie who was his best friend. After Laddie there were
several dogs that came into Charles’ life, one being a
Springer/English setter mix who he hoped would make a great
hunting dog. A birthday present from his wife, Tiger wasn’t
much of a hunting dog, but he did turn out to be a great friend.
During Tiger’s life with them, Morgan, a German Sheppard who
had been abused, came to live with them. After losing both a year
apart, he decided no more dogs, the heartbreak of losing another
furry friend was just too much! Charles held his ground for over a
year but when his wife and children took him to a dog show, he
knew he was in trouble. Sure enough, the kids fell in love with a
Dachshund and began their search for breeders. Soon enough,
Madison, a black and tan became part the family. Unfortunately,
he lost Madison in his divorce but soon enough, Spike, a rescued
Dachshund entered the picture.
Charles became involved with MAESSR over a year ago after a
chance meeting with a volunteer at a local marina. He did some
research on MAESSR, followed the Yahoo message board for
months and realized how organized it is, equating the transport
program with the pony express! He thought that with his spare
time, he could volunteer with transports, it would be fun.
Fostering was not for him, they would never leave. After his
volunteer interview, he realized with his background, he could use
his people skills to conduct interviews as well.
Charles noticed that MAESSR has a lot of loving people
volunteering who are all dedicated to Springer rescue. Everyone
does a small part and this is what makes it work. Just like the
good ole Pony Express. Teamwork is the key word with
MAESSR and he’s proud to be a part of it.
"We find beauty in the most incomprehensible places and the otherwise homely faces. It is our gift to see beyond the dirt, terror, sadness and defeat and to find the true soul that lies underneath. We are Rescue."~ Author Unknown
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