By Jordan J. Phelan
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — A close-knit group of community members gathered outside of Wags & Wiggles Rescue on Friday afternoon to witness a paw-sitive donation to help the nonprofit with renovations following damage caused by a summer fire.
For Christiane Dionne, president and events coordinator at Wags & Wiggles Rescue, every day can present its own wonders and challenges. But most would agree, including Christiane herself, that the past three months have been like no other.
On Monday, June 28, volunteer Norma Lafountain arrived at the nonprofit’s front doors between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. to the sound of upset dogs inside. It wasn’t until she investigated further that she realized a fire had sparked inside Camden Brook Market and Cafe, just a few doors down in the same strip mall along John Stark Highway. After alerting the fire department, it was a race against time to help the dogs inside from plums of smoke on one of the hottest days of the year. The organization turned to the community for help.
And the community responded.
“Random strangers were showing up with their air-conditioned vehicles throwing dogs in cars,” said Christiane remembering the day in vivid detail and with an appreciative smile on her face. “People even went across the street to Shaw’s to get doggie ice cream. It was incredible community support.”
Well, the community support didn’t stop there.
After treating two dogs on-site — and transporting one, Andy, a labrador retriever mix and new addition to Wags and Wiggles Rescue, to Small Animal Veterinary Emergency & Specialty (SAVES) in Lebanon due to smoke inhalation — members and volunteers sifted through the facility, marking things that could no longer be used.
“I have come to learn [that smoke damage] is pretty significant,” Christiane said. “It gets into everything. We had to throw away our entire ceiling, our couch, any type of blankets — even trying to launder them you could still smell the smoke no matter what we used.”
So when people around town heard, they once again answered the call and found themselves in the parking lot with much-needed rugs, blankets, towels, and even a couch within three days of the fire.
Although it has been three months since the fire, what happened has not been forgotten.
That’s where Sturm, Ruger & Co. comes in.
After a .357 Magnum originally created for Employee Appreciation Week wasn’t designed, detailed, and returned back to the facility on time, the company decided it would be a great idea to raffle the firearm off.
So that’s what happened.
And $5,250 later, that idea surely paid off.
In the spirit of generosity and giving, Sturm, Ruger & Co. handed over the reigns to the winner, Mike Coleman, a Newport resident and 20-year employee of the company, to decide what nonprofit the money would go to.
For Mike, the choice of Wags & Wiggles Rescue was an easy one.
“I knew [Wags & Wiggles Rescue] was an animal shelter and I wanted to do something for them,” Mike said. “I heard they had a fire and I figured the money would help them out.”
To top it off, Sturm, Ruger & Co. added another $1,000 to the $5,250 fundraised, making it a grant total of $6,250.
“$6,250 is an incredible amount for our small organization.”
The five-member board will determine how the funds will be used, which can range from help funding the executive director position and engagement enrichment for the animals to transportation and veterinary care, according to Christiane.
So if you found yourself driving through Newport on Friday and saw a giant check with a pit bull as the watermark, your eyes didn’t deceive you. It was truly the sight of a resilient community coming together.
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