RTL Rescue Origins
They Have the Right to Live Rescue was founded by President Geraldine Smart in 2012.
Geraldine has spent her entire life with animals--they were always her best friends growing up and have been a constant in her life. Never without them, she has loved dogs, cats, horses, birds, hamsters...there isn't an animal she doesn't love out there and will gladly take in. With 4 dogs (currently) of her own, her love for dogs runs deep and her desire to protect them all meant that she needed to make a difference in this world and thus The Right To Live Rescue was born.
Having seen the horrific situation with high-kill shelters in San Antonio, Geraldine made it her mission to bring awareness to the reality these dogs face and to rescue as many as possible from their certain death. When she first started TRTLR, by herself, she was still unable to pull dogs, and so was asking other people with the ability to pull, to go in and get the dogs, which she then arranged fosters for, all funded with her own money. Over time, while working so much with SAPA, they allowed her to be able to pull dogs herself. This was when things really took off. TRTLR became a registered 501c3 rescue, which gave her the ability to pull dogs from any shelter and adopt out dogs once they are healthy both mentally and physically. Geraldine was now working in collaboration with SAPA and TRTLR was truly up and running.
Fast forward from those early days of working by herself to today:
Working with a great team of people down in San Antonio, and with a huge network of fosters, rescues, vets and transports etc., Geraldine and TRTLR has saved close to 1,000 dogs' lives. This is a huge feat for a rescue that started with one woman's love of animals, on her computer, funding it herself to where we are today. Our name is spreading, the tireless work the team does is spreading, and both Geraldine's and TRTLR name proceeds them with connections across the US and in Canada.
Geraldine dreams and works towards a day where there are NO KILL SHELTERS, there are NO ANIMALS SUFFERING, and all animals know what it's like to be loved and be safe with soothing voices and gentle hands.
Geraldine has spent her entire life with animals--they were always her best friends growing up and have been a constant in her life. Never without them, she has loved dogs, cats, horses, birds, hamsters...there isn't an animal she doesn't love out there and will gladly take in. With 4 dogs (currently) of her own, her love for dogs runs deep and her desire to protect them all meant that she needed to make a difference in this world and thus The Right To Live Rescue was born.
Having seen the horrific situation with high-kill shelters in San Antonio, Geraldine made it her mission to bring awareness to the reality these dogs face and to rescue as many as possible from their certain death. When she first started TRTLR, by herself, she was still unable to pull dogs, and so was asking other people with the ability to pull, to go in and get the dogs, which she then arranged fosters for, all funded with her own money. Over time, while working so much with SAPA, they allowed her to be able to pull dogs herself. This was when things really took off. TRTLR became a registered 501c3 rescue, which gave her the ability to pull dogs from any shelter and adopt out dogs once they are healthy both mentally and physically. Geraldine was now working in collaboration with SAPA and TRTLR was truly up and running.
Fast forward from those early days of working by herself to today:
Working with a great team of people down in San Antonio, and with a huge network of fosters, rescues, vets and transports etc., Geraldine and TRTLR has saved close to 1,000 dogs' lives. This is a huge feat for a rescue that started with one woman's love of animals, on her computer, funding it herself to where we are today. Our name is spreading, the tireless work the team does is spreading, and both Geraldine's and TRTLR name proceeds them with connections across the US and in Canada.
Geraldine dreams and works towards a day where there are NO KILL SHELTERS, there are NO ANIMALS SUFFERING, and all animals know what it's like to be loved and be safe with soothing voices and gentle hands.
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RTLR Mascot Kappi ~ His StoryKappi (previously called Tuck) is one such dog that RTLR Founder and President Geraldine Smart refused to give up on. In October 2016, Kappi was saved from the euthanasia list at San Antonio Animal Care Services. We were happy that he was saved; however, the most difficult fight for his life lay ahead. Unfortunately, this poor pup suffered with severe dehydration and heat stroke that began to shut down the functioning of his kidneys. Kappi was rushed to an emergency vet clinic in the hopes of saving his life. While at the emergency clinic, the veterinarian stated that it would be best to let him go. After over a thousand dollars in vet bills, Geraldine refused to believe that all hope was gone for such a young pup. Instead, she contacted Bev and her husband Dr. David Behrends, DVM, of the Blanco Veterinary Clinic (BVC). Early the next morning, Staci Walker kindly picked up Kappi from the emergency clinic and drove him to BVC located in Blanco, Texas. At BVC, they began giving Kappi a blood transfusion to help his kidneys recover; in addition, he was diagnosed with DIC. All the while, Kappi’s condition was extremely serious with no guarantee of success. Through this time, Geraldine kept the faith. Everything possible was done for Kappi. Finally, on the 6th day, Kappi began eating a tiny bit of a specialized diet. Dr. David Behrends still could not guarantee that Kappi would survive; in fact, he never had a dog in Kappi's advanced stage survive. It was only after 14 days at BVC that David said Kappi could finally leave the clinic. He then went to a foster for 3 weeks of eating a specialized diet to allow his kidneys to recover. When Kappi returned to BVC for testing, his kidneys had fully recovered. Kappi truly is a miracle dog, and fought his way back from the brink of death. Geraldine changed his name to Kappi which means warrior, because he was a fighter and survived.
In April 2017 during Geraldine's trip to San Antonio, she visited the Blanco Veterinary Clinic to personally thank David for everything he did for Kappi. Everyone that worked so hard to help this small black dog survive has caring hearts. Kappi started out as just another black dog---plenty more where he came from, sadly. BUT he had THE RIGHT TO LIVE, the same as all the forgotten souls do… Kappi is such a sweet boy who is so loved and so happy. Kappi has what all pets should have: love, food, care and protection from the horrible things in life, forever. Kappi is truly home. |
