Today Rescue Village launched our vibrant new brand. Over the past nearly 30 years, we have grown to become one of the largest and most respected humane societies in the region. With more people involved in animal welfare than ever before – from being donors to adopting – it was time to update the brand to reflect this new momentum.

 “Rescue Village has grown in size and scope and has become a model for humane societies across the country,” said Executive Director Hope Brustein. “We are holistic in our approach to serve animals in need and our community at large. We are building a vibrant and humane society – one human and animal relationship at a time –  and we invite everyone in Northeast Ohio to join us in our effort.”

 The state-of-the-art village is located in Novelty, Ohio a short drive from downtown Cleveland. The campus consists of a 19,000-square foot facility that includes a full-service veterinary clinic; a limited admission, unlimited stay shelter; a community room for education and training; an onsite barn and barnyard and walking trails surrounding the 15-acre property to exercise the animals.

“It’s a fact that our relationships with animals can help us to be better human beings,” said Kathy Leavenworth. “Rescue Village demonstrates this every day in our humane education programs, our community outreach and one-on-one with our gifted and dedicated adoption counselors. It takes consistent compassion and professionalism to elevate our treatment of the animals and each other.”

The new logo was designed by Cleveland Institute of Art student Cassandra Harb who wanted this special relationship between humans and animals to start the moment someone looks at the logo. “When creating this logo, I wanted to find a way to integrate animals and letterforms to make a unique, modernized logo and I wanted the public to be able to instantly recognize what Rescue Village is all about.” 

More than 50 of Northeast Ohio’s most engaged animal advocates unveiled the new logo together in front of the main building. Rescue Village Staff and the Board of Directors were the first to see the new brand in the form of a giant sign that the community can see from Route 306/Chillicothe Road.

The community can be part of the more humane society celebration by donating to Rescue Village’s Project S.A.V.E. Some of the animals at Rescue Village need special medical tests, surgery or other care that goes above and beyond normal resources. Project S.A.V.E.—Saving Animals with Veterinary Emergencies—is a special fund that enables us to provide specialized care that we would not otherwise be able to provide that will help make an animal more adoptable. We are currently raising $15,000 – our fund is currently at zero and we have a number of animals that need medical care. To donate to Project S.A.V.E. visit rescuevillage.org.

About Rescue Village
Rescue Village, formerly known as the Geauga Humane Society, has been saving animals from homelessness, harm and performing lifesaving work throughout Geauga County and Northeast Ohio for more than 30 years. Our mission is to bring together organizations, businesses, and individuals across Northeast Ohio to work toward our shared vision of a more humane society. The current 19,000 square foot center includes a full-service veterinary clinic, a state-of-the-art shelter, an outdoor barn and trails to exercise the animals in our care. We rely upon 100 percent philanthropic donations to serve our mission.  For more information visit rescuevillage.org.

Rescue Village will open one hour late on Tuesday, October 29. We will open our doors at 1 p.m. instead of Noon. The Board of Directors and Staff are launching the new brand this morning and we will need extra time to get ready to open to the public. Thank you for your understanding!

There are always celebrations when animals are adopted here at Rescue Village, but some joyful moments are truly bigger than others. And some celebrations are community-wide. This is one of those times.

Our beloved Happy has finally found her forever home. Ryan from Mentor came to Rescue Village in search of a companion. He originally had another dog in mind but after meeting Happy, she was all he could think about. Ryan wasted no time in getting permission from his condominium manager and in a few days he was back at Rescue Village to become a foster. As soon as Happy saw Ryan, she showered him with kisses and enthusiastic tail wags.

Once Ryan found out that Happy enjoyed things like sitting on the couch to watch a Browns game, well, it was a done deal. They also enjoy walks at the park, visits with friends and the two have become rather inseparable. It was time to make it official. Ryan brought Happy back to Rescue Village this week to complete the necessary paperwork to claim his new family member.

Ryan and Happy on their way to Rescue Village to fill out the adoption papers.

Let the HAPPY DANCES begin!

Happy’s quest for a home started in March. From her very first day at Rescue Village she was one of the friendliest, most outgoing, obedient, well-adjusted and well…happy adoptable animals. There was some interest in her, but there were no takers. Day after day, week after week, Happy watched other dogs come and go from the confines of her kennel. Staff got really creative with their outreach on behalf of this sweet pup: there were daily Happy Hours, many trips to local television stations, and countless meet and greets at local restaurants and events.

It was truly a community-wide effort to find Happy her person. There are so many people who helped in the search to find her a home, but we would like to thank especially WKYC Studios and Lisa Lowry, and Rachelle Hrusovsky.

One thing Ryan likes most about Happy: “She is so loving, she doesn’t want to leave my side.” Happy is just smitten and appreciates her new owner very much.

Endings like this truly make the journey to find forever homes worthwhile, even if it can take longer than we would like sometimes. Congratulations to our Rescue Village family members Ryan and Happy. You two make us…smile.

Gambit has a home!

Some dogs are more challenging than others, and lively Gambit was one of these pups. Rescue Village took him in December of 2018 and after careful evaluation it was determined that sweet Gambit needed lots of attention and training. He loved people and other dogs, but it quickly became clear that Gambit was far from ready for a home. Severe anxiety, destructive chewing, leash reactivity and no knowledge of basic obedience were just some of the important issues that the Rescue Village team had to address.

Training is all about communication and finding what motivates a dog. Equally important is repetition and consistency. After months of daily training sessions and plenty of exercise, Gambit showed signs of progress and knew how to sit, stay, wait and target. The next piece of the puzzle was finding Gambit a foster home to see if his training and new behaviors would continue with a foster home picking up his daily training and exercise regimen. The exciting news, it DID! A loving and attentive foster brought continued progress for sweet Gambit. And, just this weekend it was made official…Gambit found his forever home! His new owner is excited to have such a bright and loving dog as a companion. The training will continue in Gambit’s new home.

The Rescue Village team that worked tirelessly with him could not be more thrilled. Let’s just say when this happens, there are lots of high-fives and cheers. And now the awesome Rescue Village crew will focus on working with the next animals to help them find their forever homes. And that’s what it’s all about! What an awesome and gratifying effort. Thanks to our generous donors and supporters for making beautiful success stories like this possible.

To support Rescue Village’s animal care team, please click here.

Gambit with his new owner Taylor from Cleveland. Special thanks to Gambit’s foster, Kellie Chapman. It took a village…Rescue Village!