BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — This week’s Hometown Hero goes to an organization that gives animals a second chance at life. Some of these animals come from dilapidated conditions, and it’s this organizations job to save them and treat them.
Animal Charity of Ohio, located on Market Street in Boardman, has been going around Mahoning County when it gets a call about animal abuse.
In some cases, team members see some pretty extreme conditions.
“As far a cruelty, we get a lot of shot dogs, starved dogs,” says Jane MacMurchy with Animal Charity. “Starved dog is probably one of the most common.”
There are also many cat hoarding cases.
MacMurchy says many of these people are mental health cases, and some are tough for her and her co-workers to see.
“We lean on each other. Our staff really leans on each other. We tell people seek mental health help, for our staff, if needed,” MacMuchy says.
She says when they are on scene, their team focuses on the problem at hand before they let out the emotions of what they are feeling.
“A lot of times, it’s just getting through that scene, getting through that case,” says MacMurchy. “At the end of the day, make a phone call and speaking to the staff about it and talking to each other about it, talk to our prosecutors about it.”
She says they get people who say, ‘I could never do what you do’ — but for those at Animal Charity, it’s for the animals.
“We’re doing this to seek justice for that animal,” says MacMurchy. “It might be hard to see, but what that animal went through was harder.”
While not every animal survives, it’s a special feeling when they see the ones that do.
“The reward is getting them out of those situations and watching them live these amazing lives,” MacMurchy says.
Team members still manage to stay humble.
“We just kind of go about our day and do our thing,” MacMurchy says.
