Pet Care Provider Tina Mackay Not Down for the Count

A recovering addict has disentangled herself from the ropes of death. Now she wants to do the same for others.

Last fall we brought you the story of Tina Mackay, aspiring pet boarder and founder of the foster-based nonprofit Ruff Recovery. Since then, her aspirations have been partially realized: "I got my business license, so now I'm actually a legal nonprofit organization," she happily reports to KPQ. Despite the occasional stumbling block, including a fire at the site of the shelter that has mildly stalled her progress, Mackay is hopeful.

"There was a motorhome on the property and it caught fire," she says. The vehicle was reduced to something resembling an ash heap. It's an eyesore, Mackay says, and it will cost a pretty penny to remove.

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But Mackay has endured worse. Prior to sobering up about ten months ago, her life was a purgatorial mess. Marred by opiate dependency, she wanted to seek in-patient treatment but had no one to care for her dogs - that is, until she was introduced to a long-term pet sitter.

"It was a lady I didn't know - a friend of mine knew her brother," Mackay recalls. "She heard my story and reached out." This kindly benefactor kept watch over her dogs for 91 days.

Having gotten the addiction monkey off her back, Mackay would like nothing more than to pay it forward.

"I am going to be housing the pets of people seeking mental health or drug and alcohol treatment," she explains. "As long as they're doing something to better their lives, they can bring their pets to me and I will hold and care for their pets."

"I just want to remove an obstacle from their path to recovery - that way they're not dealing with the question of, 'Where's my animal?' 'Who's taking care of my dog?' 'Is my dog okay?'"

Many of her would-be clients are in financial ruin: "I'm not having them pay me, because obviously they can't afford it," Mackay says. "But once they're done with treatment, I want them to be able to volunteer at the shelter as a form of payment."

"The way you love - and receive love - is completely different when you're addicted. If I have [clients] volunteer at the shelter, it will teach them not only responsibility, but unconditional love. They'll get reintroduced to the world while being surrounded by the unconditional love of their pets."

In the meantime there are kennels that need building, concrete that needs pouring.

The property is located on Mission Creek Rd. in Cashmere. Construction is still in its infancy. According to Mackay, "Starting in late March, we'll go up there and get the land all ready. Hopefully the fundraiser will enable us to get kennels built - I have some done already."

"And I'm going to start small, you know? I'm going to start with a couple of kennels, and as more funds come in, we'll be adding more kennels and structures and play areas."

Mackay's fundraiser is scheduled for the afternoon of April 6, a Sunday. Tickets are $20. In return you'll get to enjoy dinner, live music, a raffle and a silent auction at Kristall's in Leavenworth.

Click here to donate to Mackay's GoFundMe.