Mona our 9 yr old Pit Bull
Honey our 11 yr old mixed breed girl
Rose our 6 yr old 3 lb Chihuahua mix
Jack our 13 yr old Black Lab mix
Finley our 6 yr old Irish Wolfhound
Zuzu our 6 yr old Chihuahua
Hallie our 15 yr old Calico
Boo our 12 yr old black kitty with lime green eyes
Luna our 3 yr old Polydactyl kitty
Amelia and Oliver, our potbelly pigs
and ... in memory of our beloved Vince, who was with me for 15 years and was my very first rescue ...
My partner, Nancy, and I have been together for 17 years. We live on 3+ acres of the east side of Atlanta. We are both full-time sign language interpreters and are very involved in the Deaf community here and in the improvement of education for Deaf children. We have two wonderful kids, Travis (27) and Katherine (25). We have 6 dogs and 3 cats of our own (all rescues), and within Bliss we usually have between 6-7 foster pets as well.
Our passion for animals runs deep! Nancy is vegetarian and Jessie is vegan. We are committed to the idea that animals need not suffer merely for us to exist. It’s a corny notion, yeah, but we really are here to live in harmony with them, not to exploit. This life that we have is not meant for us, for what we can accomplish for ourselves, but for all that we can accomplish for something beyond ourselves. We invest our time in animals because it brings us great joy and it helps to reduce the suffering and loneliness of pets in need. We feel a serious responsibility in our stewardship of the animals with whom we share this world. We have a particular passion for helping those who have been the victims of acts of cruelty or neglect. We want to keep companion animals out of harm’s way. We view pets as members of the family that deserve the utmost respect, nurturing, dedication, and love possible.
Is it possible for an animal to feel “bliss”? We believe it is. A way out of the horrors they have known, be it violence, abandonment, neglect, or isolation … and into the life that awaits them – the life of great satisfaction and contentment that was meant to be.
The establishment of Bliss has been a long time coming. We have always been the type to pull over and pick up the stray on the side of the road. To take in a scared, lost dog or cat and help him find his way back home. Years of that led to the feeling that we needed to be part of a greater whole, a community of animal-lovers like us who had an organized way to make a difference. So we found a wonderful organization, Pound Puppies N’ Kittens, and have been a foster home for them for several years. We are greatly indebted to everyone in Pound Puppies for all that we have learned (and continue to learn!).
Our involvement with animal rescue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was our point of no return. We volunteered with Noah’s Wish near New Orleans (Slidell). We spent our time caring for hundreds of dogs who had been left behind, stranded, terrified, injured, and separated from all they’d ever known. We witnessed the people who had been through the same, and worse. We witnessed the undeniable bond of love that is shared between man and animal, and saw the best of our humanity among those who fought to reunite the two in the midst of terrible tragedy.
We came home with changed hearts and a renewed investment to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We have visited Best Friends Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah several times and have seen the scope of what is possible in the world of rescue. We visited Pasado Safe Haven near Seattle and took their “Animal Sanctuary 101” workshop. We took natural disaster emergency response animal rescue training from Noah’s Wish. I started volunteering at a low-cost Spay/Neuter clinic, which led to becoming a vet tech there once a week. In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, Travis and I volunteered with pet rescue for Pasado Safe Haven. Then Nancy and I started researching the possibility of starting up our own non-profit. Time passed and all the pieces started falling together in the most bizarre and unexpected ways, with the oddest timing possible … and now here we are! Bliss was established on April 1st, 2009.
We currently pull senior and special needs dogs from our local county animal control shelters. We work hard to provide the best care possible for our fosters and to find them the best loving and permanent homes out there, even if that means they stay here with us until the very end (many of our rescues are too ill or fragile to be adopted out, so they remain here in sanctuary/hospice care until it is their time to go). We believe in top quality food and medical care for all our fosters, along with a home environment where they get the love, attention, and comfort they deserve. It truly is our honor to care for each and every unique dog we are able to take in! And we thank all who support our efforts!
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."- Albert Einstein
