Denise Byrnes Fire Recovery Fund

When Denise Byrnes went to sleep on Saturday evening, November 14th, she had no idea that she was about to lose everything.   Sometime in the early hours of Sunday a gas leak caused an explosion and within minutes her home became engulfed in flames.  She barely made it out alive.  The smoke and flames had taken over so much of the house that she couldn't get to the animals who were still trapped inside.

Denise is a passionate advocate for animals that have been abandoned or injured. Working as a Animal Care Technician provided her with the necessary training to treat and care for animals that in other circumstances would have been put down for their ailments. Even when no longer working in a veterinary clinic environment she continued this work, helping those who could not afford veterinary care for their animals and even building an extension room onto her home to house the foster cats.
One of the injured cats. This cat lost half its foot and was due to be euthanized due to costs and space issues in its shelter. The cat was taken by Denise and rehabilitated entirely at her own personal cost to include cleanings, bandages and antibiotics. This sadly, was one of the cats lost in the fire.
Foster cats from the foster cat room.
Cats from the foster cat room.

She would spend her own money to rehabilitate and find homes for cats and dogs, especially pit bull breeds often found on euthanasia lists.  Of the twenty-eight cats that she had rescued from kill shelters and was fostering, some with injuries that prevented normal home care for someone lacking her training, only four are confirmed to have survived the fire.  Her two loving pit bulls that she rehabilitated and adopted, Sasha and her certified service dog Maragu, were also trapped and unable to escape.  Denise and her husband Bill Redmond are now homeless, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and broken hearts.
Sasha (Left) and Maragu (Right)
Bloated and wormy puppy, nursed back to health.
An adopted and rehabilitating puppy.
Denise walking with Maragu

With no insurance to fall back on or savings to help them recover, they need our help.  Our goal is to find her and her husband a new home and help them begin the painful process of replacing the possessions they've lost. These goals include the daunting challenge of acquiring the necessary funds to place a 10% down payment on a loan for a new place to live as well as the additional costs of replacing their possessions. This includes everything from appliances and furniture to clothes, identification and even the necessary essentials such as food and care items for not just themselves but the remaining foster animals to survive this ordeal. In addition to these expenses, Bill is currently out of work for the next week on emergency leave of absence to handle their affairs and it is not known at this time whether he will be compensated for the lost hours.

Bill and Denise live by simple low-income means and do not need an expensive home or extravagant items. They desire only a place to live and care for their animals.

Whilst we understand that large donations may be out of reach for many please understand that Denise and Bill have lost everything and every dollar counts. When you have nothing, every dollar is a step towards recovery.

Specific Financial Goals:
- 10% down payment for a home loan in the amount of $6500-$8000.
This will enable the purchase of a cheap but functional place to live and research into places is already being done in this endeavor.

All additional income will assist in maintaining their lively hood until new living arrangements can be made and in recovering from the loss of their of necessary possessions as outlined below.

- Fees for replacement of personal identification
- Cost of making new keys for the vehicles
- Appliances (washer, dryer, fridge, stove, microwave)
- Replacement of clothing, personal essentials, food, furniture, etc
- Food and necessities for the surviving animals (food, feeding dishes, cat trees, litter boxes, walking leashes, collars)
- The cost of removal and disposal of the home and surrounding debris created by the fire
- Replacement of lost income from missing work