By Danielle Pajek

Across America there are thousands of organizations that house people escaping abusive and violent homes. According to the United States Humane Society, 71 percent of these people have a pet and not every domestic violence shelter can house them.

So, who is taking care of these furry friends? These innocent, puppy-eyed creatures?

The answer is Harmony Dog Rescue.

This local nonprofit provides temporary foster homes for the dogs of people who are fleeing dangerous and abusive households.

Timothy Lydon, the founder of the organization, said he spent time in his twenties working at various animal sanctuaries that inspired the creation of Harmony Dog Rescue. Lydon said he worked at “a chicken rescue in California, a buffalo campaign in Montana, a dog rescue in Ireland, and I knew this is the world I wanted to be in.”

More recently, in 2022, the heart of Harmony Dog Rescue said he worked at the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh where he manned the Pet Helpline.

“The problems that were hardest to solve were the instances in which people needed temporary emergency boarding for their pets. These were people who did not want to surrender their pets, but instead needed a safe place for them for a few weeks while they were going through a transition. The shelter only had so many cages, so we had to help people find alternatives,” he said.

Lydon said that Harmony Dog Recue is that alternative.

“As we grow and expand our capacity, we plan on responding to requests from people who are experiencing medical emergencies and housing instability, but our focus right now is helping those who are fleeing violence and abuse,” he said.

Lydon said that while working for the Humane Animal Rescue he took a call from a woman who was sleeping in her car with her two dogs because her home wasn’t safe. He shared that the rescue didn’t have enough room to help take care of the dogs.

The passionate man said, “That’s just one example, but it’s that woman, and every other individual who finds themselves in a similar position, who we are starting this organization to help.”   

For now, Lydon said the organization is starting by helping people with dogs that are leaving behind violent homes. But he said he has every intention to expand the nonprofit.

“We are in the first phase of our three-phase roll-out. Phase one will focus on serving the needs of domestic violence survivors. Phase two, once we expand capacity, will allow us to provide temporary foster care for dogs whose owners are going through medical emergencies, homelessness, and drug and alcohol rehab. Phase three will begin once we have raised enough money to build a kennel on the land, we are leasing in Harmony Township, hence the name of our rescue,” Lydon said.

He added, “Our five-year goal is to be operating an ethical, financially sustainable rescue on our land.”

Even without an official kennel, Lydon said that the rescue makes a way for every dog.

“We accept dogs of all breeds, sizes, and ages. The only clients we would have to turn away are the ones with dogs who are aggressive toward humans. If a dog is not good with other dogs or other animals, we have fosters who do not have any animals, so they can accommodate; however, if the dog is not good with any other human other than their owner, we could not take that dog into our care; we could, however, facilitate a boarding stay,” the big-hearted man said.

If someone does temporarily leave their dog in the hands of one of Harmony Dog Rescue’s trusted canine caregivers, the organization will work with them to stay connected.

Lydon said, “Weekly communication with our organization is required to maintain participation in the program. We send a weekly reminder text, and all the owner has to do is respond. For the safety of everyone involved, the owner of the dog and the foster never meet; however, we facilitate meetings with owners and their dogs if requested.”

The question remains then: how can you get involved with this up and coming nonprofit?

For those who are able to foster a dog Lydon said, “Please visit our website and fill out the application under the Become a Foster link.”

Fosters don’t have to be a professional veterinarian or have a dog of their own to foster.

Lydon laid out the requirements: “As a foster volunteer, your primary responsibilities are simple: provide love and care for your foster dog. Aside from the basics – food, water, shelter — we ask that you provide socialization and appropriate exercise for the dog in your care. The position also requires that you respond to medical emergencies immediately by contacting us or transporting the dog to one of our partners veterinarians or to an emergency clinic.

“We provide everything a foster needs, including food, bedding, toys and 24-hour support,” he also said.

For students or other members of the La Roche community who cannot physically care for a dog, Lydon shared other ways that people can get involved.

He said, “We are so grateful for any kind of donation, money or supplies. We are also looking for help to organize fundraising events, if anyone reading this has any experience with that kind of thing, please contact us. Also, as I said above. Everyone is good at something. It could be sewing or cooking or building things. If you have a skill, something you are good at, please reach out and let us know what that is. We will welcome you into the Harmony Dog Rescue family.”

If you need their services or want to help out humanity’s long time best friend, Lydon said, “People who need our services can visit our website and fill out the animal intake application. People who want to foster for us can fill out the volunteer application. There are also direct links to donate and to our social media pages.”

“We are also looking for help to organize fundraising events, if anyone reading this has any experience with that kind of thing, please contact us.”

Timothy Lydon, Harmony Dog Rescue

For more information about Harmony Dog Rescue contact info@harmonydogrescue.org.

You can also find the organization online at https://www.harmonydogrescue.org/, on Instagram at @harmonydogrescue, or on Facebook at @Harmony Dog Rescue.