THE BARKING CHAIN ~ Animal Services Project Plan

The Barking Chain (501c3) animal rescue, created by Denise Bergquist alongside her daughter Ashley, evolved from the love of animals. And the growing need for change inside overcrowded animal shelters. Our first rescue dog was a shy and scared female shepherd. We knew we had to help her. She was due to give birth any day inside the shelter. We arranged to foster her. And sure enough, 2 days later, seven puppies arrived. Sadly we lost one overnight; Ashley was crushed, which was understandable because she was only eight then.

Over the next 8 weeks Mama dog transformed into the sweetest, most well-behaved and most trusting pet. Giving the babies back to the shelter for adoption was devastating to both of us. Ashley was having a hard time with it. I told her we could continue fostering other dogs, But saying goodbye when they were ready for a new home was part of the process. She had to be able to handle it emotionally if she wanted to keep helping them, she wasnt happy but She agreed; we saved a dog with a ruptured eye, a deaf dog, and at least 30 more that year. Ashley remained active and hands-on, working with rescues and adopting our own pack. About 5 years later;

When Ashley was in high school, her AVID class had to write about who in their life had the most significant impact on who they were and what they wanted to become. It was another year before I got to read the essay. She wrote about our first rescue dog and how the transformation she witnessed showed her how some love and attention could change a life forever. She said I was the person who made her the kind, caring person she is today. I cried as I read it. Who wouldn't?

I was a single mom of 3, working nights, living in low-income housing back then. So I was suprised learn she picked me as her role model. It was strange but It sparked something in me , a burning desire to understand how this crisis affected our communities. We needed to know every aspect of how we interact with animals in our day to day lives.

Figuring out the how and the why behind our nations lost and homeless pet crisis enabled us to formulate a project plan that will address the issues embeded in the current system. We believe the most successful and effective plans with long-lasting change come from those directly impacted by the problems. Would you agree?

We have taken our experiences in dog rescue and lessons learned (some the hard way) from love and heartbreak in pet ownership as the foundation for a unique approach to this complex crisis.

For over 13 years, we engaged with the public, animal services and rescue organizations involved with the hands-on struggles of saving these voiceless souls.

We narrowed down the issues and discovered where support could be implemented and requests for resources and partnerships could be sought. We want to make pet ownership easy and affordable; our ultimate goal is a socially acceptable and financially independent process for managing animal placement services and obtainable resources when help is needed.

If you are ready for change, please consider supporting our mission. This is our first official fundraiser, and we need public support to move forward. A business plan, proposal and related exspense will be part of our next action steps. We are approved for both federal and state tax-exemption for the 2022 tax season.

We invite you to connect, and ask questions , your feedback is important to our growth.

Are you looking for a cause related investment deal ? Do you realize we spend over 125 billion on pet products and services in the US. each year and pet retail revenue went up during covid not down. Please give us a minute to share our project .

Can you help? Big or small, all donations are appreciated. We are and will remain transparent. The firm we have been in close communication with during our formation process will also accept donations on our behalf;

Parrott and Associates are helping to make donating to a new organization a safe decision. Contact us for other ways you can support this project.

We will contact different city, county and state agencies to find our first animal shelter looking for a solution. To determine where our first site will be. HELP US pick your city by spreading the word in your community. The area with the most shares and donations could be our first site location.

Thank You,

The Barking Chain

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