We were lucky to catch up with Amy Campanini recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Imagine being a shelter pet without the benefit of eyesight to guide you. Surely an animal in this situation would be frightened and hopeless, right? Not if you ask Lou and Ray!

Palmetto Animal League rescued the 5-month-old sisters from a rural shelter. Lou had limited vision and sadly Ray lost what little eyesight she had left, leaving her completely blind. Lou immediately came to her sister’s aid, taking on the all-important role of Ray’s seeing eye cat! Their story touched many people back in September of 2020, including PAL supporter, Nicole Lucignoli, whose two beloved cats had recently passed away.

“I remember when Nicole came in to look at Lou and Ray the first time, she was in love at first sight,” recounts PAL Adoption Coordinator Sally Dawkins.

Nicole had no previous experience with special needs pets, but that didn’t matter to her.

“Lou immediately came down to me from where she was perched,” says Nicole. “I noticed her eyes were a little different. I started playing with the other cats and then noticed Ray had no eyes. I went back out and read their profiles and my heart just melted.”

Nicole learned that Lou and Ray had been at PAL for almost a year, and that was it! She went home and told her boyfriend, Paul Steinberg, that they had just adopted two blind cats.

Six months after adopting Lou and Ray, Nicole came back to PAL and asked if we had any more visually impaired cats up for adoption. That’s how she and Paul fell in love with a blind cat named Birdie.

“We found out Birdie had a little buddy named Belle who was just as cute,” explains Nicole. “We knew we didn’t want to split them up, so we adopted both.”

They may be blind, but Lou, Ray, and Birdie navigate their home just as gracefully and masterfully as sharp-sighted Belle.

“Don’t be afraid to adopt an animal just because they look a little different or need a little extra care,” says Nicole. “We really don’t consider them special needs. You would never know they’re blind.”

Nicole and Paul saw the beauty in three blind cats and gave them a forever home but say it’s their life that has changed for the better.

Amy , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have loved animals my entire life and volunteered for animal organizations whenever possible. During my time as a private chef on yachts, I was always feeding the stray populations in marinas. This is when I realized we, as a society, were not doing enough to end animal suffering. So, I made the career change and devoted myself to animal welfare for the rest of my life.

I am most proud of Palmetto Animal League’s no kill work in our community. Saving every cat and dog possible is at the center of all we do. I believe that how we care for animals in our community reflects who we are as a community. I am proud to say that our community is strong in its’ belief that animals have a right to their lives and should be treated with compassion, dignity, and respect. PAL staff, volunteers, and supporters demonstrate this belief every day.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Little did Heather Stringer know that two days after Christmas in 2017 the best addition to her life had come to PAL. When a dog named Barin came to Palmetto Animal League he was in rough shape, to say the very least, but we knew that we could give him the life he deserved.

Barin had suffered greatly due to owner neglect. After being hit by a car his owners told authorities they didn’t have the money to take him to a vet, so he was tied up outside with two broken legs for months on end. Barin’s bones healed improperly, leaving him with two badly deformed front legs. When he arrived at PAL, he could only crawl on twisted and mangled limbs.

Our first effort in helping Barin regain freedom of movement was to get him fitted for a pair of leg orthotics. After more than 6 months of trying to get the ineffective braces to work, we knew we’d have to find another way. Barin is a “noble fighter” (hence his name) and this setback seemed to only strengthen his resolve.

Generous donors stepped up and provided Barin with a custom-built cart from Eddie’s Wheels. The result was nothing short of a miracle. The first time we put Barin in his cart, he took off eagerly, exercising his right to run that had been taken from him so long ago. To me, it looked and felt like freedom in its purest form. In that moment, everyone watching experienced the kind of overwhelming joy that makes your heart skip a beat. Barin’s determination to triumph over emotional scars; his refusal to surrender to a broken body – it’s the stuff of history books.

Barin had been through so much in just three years of life, but two years after coming to PAL his adoption made all the setbacks and struggles worth it. Heather saw Barin on PAL’s website and knew that she had to meet him. After working with our staff to learn all about his care, she knew he was meant to be hers. Barin finally got to go home, and it was a joyous day that I will remember forever.

Heather and her family gave Barin the most beautiful life any dog has ever dreamed of. They gave him the home he had always deserved, and we loved receiving regular updates from home. Sadly, last year, they received the news no one wants to hear. Barin was surrounded by the love of family when an aggressive form of lymphoma took him. He will forever live in the hearts of all of us at PAL. We thank Heather for being Barin’s angel here on Earth.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a private, non-profit, no kill animal rescue organization that receives no government funding, Palmetto Animal League relies on donations and the kindness of our supporters. During Covid, we had to close the PAL Thrift Store and Veterinary Clinic for a period of time, suspend our volunteer program, and place our largest annual fundraiser on hold. During this time, our Adoption Center was operating with a skeleton crew and our resources were severely limited. We needed community support more than ever before to meet the growing needs of animals in our community. Throughout Covid, our goal was to continue rescuing, while also working to keep pets with their families during difficult times.

I remember one particular day during Covid that when we arrived to deliver pet food to four local pantries, pet owners were already in the parking lot, waiting for us to arrive. As the financial burden continued, PAL worked to increase the number of deliveries we make and provided pet food at more locations. With many people suffering and worrying about how to feed their families, having pet food available at local pantries may have been the factor that kept an animal in his/her home.

Many people who adopted during Covid were spending long hours at home with their new pet. As they returned to work, there was an increased need for PAL to provide training and behavior support to ensure those pets and people adjusted well after the change of schedule.

As area shelters reopened, we anticipated a surge of surrendered and abandoned animals. PAL’s No Kill Adoption Center in Okatie was, and always will be, a place of refuge for animals in immediate danger due to space restrictions at other shelters. Along those same lines, to make room for rescuing the most at-risk animals during Covid, we quickly expanded our foster program and many caring individuals and families signed up to help us in this area.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://palmettoanimalleague.org/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/paladoption
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Palmettoanimalleague/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PAL_adoption
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWN6Z_0FfesFBpOK6bJsTYA