A local woman is looking to pursue her lifelong dream of running a one-stop-shop animal facility in Wallaceburg.
Lisa Holland is eyeing a building in Wallaceburg where she can use her experience and help animals in need. She has also launched a GoFundMe page to help her get started.
“The idea is to build a facility that can outreach to the community and the local rescues,” Holland told the Sydenham Current.
“I by no means want to create another facility that does the same thing as everybody else. I want to do kind of an all-in-one. I am hoping to do some grooming. I am going to put a dog training facility in there as well. I would like it to be an emergency stop for people if an animal is downed in the middle of the night and you can’t get a hold of the rescue or the OSPCA, or the dog pound.”
Holland added: “I would like to be that place where they can take that animal for the night until we can seek where else that animal could go. I find I meet a lot of people that get stuck. Whether it be that they found a kitten crying in the middle of the night… what do you do with it if you can’t take it home? So I would like to be that in between place and web out to everybody else.”
Holland said one aspect she wants to focus on is creating a Galgos rescue, the breed of sighthounds she has at home.
“There are a few facilities in Spain that have Galgos that are now starting to get them over to Canada but there is no go to, as far as a place here that facilitates them,” she said.
“So my idea behind that part of it is to help with an area that people can adopt the dogs from the facility or I can bring them over. They can come to Canada and the people here at my place when they take them home, if for any reason the dogs don’t work out with the family members than they have a place to come back to.”
Holland added: “It is an all-in-one. Kind of slamming a whole bunch of ideas in the same building, but I really look forward to it. My idea behind it was to definitely web out to more of the community and the rescues and the animal shelter. To make a place where I can pull everybody together. I could help with the grooming of the rescues through the other rescues as well.”
Many years experience
Holland said she has about 20 years of experience working with animals.
“Between grooming and working with the vet, working locally in pet nutrition. Now with dog training,” she said.
Holland grew up surrounded by animals, as her mother Maryanne is the owner of K9 Klips in Wallaceburg.
Holland has worked side-by-side with Dr. Gerrit Deuzeman, a local vet, and currently works at Pet Valu.
“I am also at the moment working with some of the rescues as a go to for dogs that have issues,” she said.
“So I have now been welcomed in by PAWR to help with some of their dogs that come in. One thing with rescue dogs is they do come with baggage sometimes and it’s by no means their fault. So I try to make that easier when it comes to adopting them into a new family. Helping the new family and the dog get to know each other and understand each other. How they can work through the differences.”
Donate to Lisa today
Holland has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with the cost of purchasing the building and equipment.
“I am in the process of making my business plan and getting everything put down on paper and doing all the research,” she said.
“I have a million volunteers to help with things.”
Holland is targeting $15,000 for her goal.
“Unfortunately blood, sweat and tears is not an issue like it says on my GoFundMe page, but finances is not always in my favour, especially being off with a new baby. That’s another idea behind this business is I want to leave something for my family to continue to run. Something for this community to have for years to come.”
“I definitely need some help with the funding side. I think that because of the location of the building I am looking at, it may bring some of this community in this area back together and draw some business over to an area that a lot of people don’t go over to.
Holland said she is eyeing another fundraiser in November, where local musicians will come together to support her cause.
– Photo credit: Sylvia Jae Houston
