There’s always time for furry loved ones
RECYCLED LOVE
Lisa Pavelak and Rob Pineo have been rescuing dogs for close to 10 years in Nova Scotia and they are about the busiest married couple you will ever meet.
They have separate demanding careers; Pavelak owns the Hardwood Tree in Cooks Brook, a mill, and has recently opened The Hardwood Tree Creations retail store; Pineo is a trial litigator lawyer with Patterson Law, who specializes in property disputes. They currently have six dogs in their home, five owned and one foster dog.
Furthermore, they have five children; James (25), Matthew (26), Roy (27), Jessica (28),
David (29) and one cherished grandchild Caleb (19 months).
Pavelak and Pineo’s dogs are distinct individuals and treasured pets. Bonnie, the Springer Spaniel, is their eldest dog at 16 years of age who has an adorable crooked smile. They lovingly refer to Bonnie as Pineo’s daughter. Lexie is the eight-year-old Doberman they innocently inherited. Sophie and Mable are mother-daughter Valley Bulldogs. Sophie was saved from a puppy mill, luckily, with one of her litters in tow. The puppies quickly found loving homes except for one, so they adopted the sweet duet. Nelly, their four-year-old German Shepard, was adopted from their close friend and fellow rescuer, Elsie.
When Elsie suddenly and sadly passed away, they brought her large Doberman, Chevy, into their home temporarily as a foster dog. Both Pavelak and Pineo have confessed, although they call Chevy their foster dog, he will not be going anywhere.
The Pavelak-pineo marriage is an original, one-of-a-kind rescue love story. Both individuals are run off their feet with work, children, second-generation children, friends, pets and general everyday life, but they still find time to pour themselves into rescue.
Anybody at all committed to the cause will tell you animal rescue is demanding, stressful, exhilarating, heartbreaking, rewarding, soul-stealing, and often all at the same time. To discover a married couple who devote so much of their lives to rescuing homeless, unwanted, forgotten and unloved animals is unheard of within the rescue community.
I first met Pavelak and Pineo shortly after we adopted our blind rescue girl Sheena, as they played an intricate role in saving her life from the deplorable outdoor conditions she existed in.
Animal rescue dearly and desperately needs more individuals, identical to Pavelak and Pineo. They make their rescue pursuits look reasonably straightforward, and they are very humble or even modest when asked about their devotion to animals. They are gracious, courteous, honourable individuals and with little effort, have innocently set the bar high for the rest of us in animal rescue.
Pavelak and Pineo will never take credit for the myriad of animals snuggled into loving homes because of their unselfish efforts. And if you try to compliment this married couple, they will shrug their shoulders and carry on doing what they do best; rescuing and liberating homeless pets.
Please be kind to animals.
Anybody at all committed to the cause will tell you animal rescue is demanding, stressful, exhilarating, heartbreaking, rewarding, soul-stealing, and often all at the same time.
Tracy Jessiman is a pet portrait artist who lives in Halifax with her husband and their three pets. She is a volunteer with Animal Rescue Coalitions of Nova Scotia. She has been rescuing animals most of her life, but more intimately, animals rescued her.