Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Rivera.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Peace Love and Poms rescue was started in 2020 by three determined women. We all individually have over a decade of experience in rescue, we all bring different strengths to the table, and we work extremely well together to save the lives of small breed dogs while focusing on the Pomeranian breed. Amanda Rivera, President and Founder, is in Lebanon, PA; Marja Toth, VP and Co-Founder, is in Anderson, SC; Rosemary Boncella, CFO and Co-Founder, is in Rome, NY allowing our efforts to reach farther areas in the United States. Our organization is a foster based rescue where we utilize a home-based setting so dogs can thrive, be properly assessed, and cared for like family which prepares them for adoption. We saw a need for a rescue that focused on quality over quantity as well as providing education and support to the public, fosters and adopters. A need to create a rescue where dogs received the best medical care possible, behavior rehabilitation, and where the focus was placed on finding the right family for the dog, rather than the first come first serve method that often results in failed adoptions. Our team has grown over the years, including our methods of fundraising events to fund the expenses of the of dogs. PLPR is an all-volunteer nonprofit, so no one gets a paycheck and all money raised goes directly to the care of the dogs in our rescue. Despite our small organization we have saved and adopted over 560 dogs since we launched,
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Rescue is never smooth, but we can attest it is never the dogs that make it difficult. The public and social media exposure can be a headache. Most people don’t have any idea what rescue entails in regard to the startup, legal aspects, as well as the time and money it takes just to stay within the law and operating above standard. Just one intake setup can take days, vetting one dog can take weeks and thousands of dollars, and finding the right home is no easy task that can take months. We are not able to save every dog we are asked to take, we do not adopt out to everyone, and we have a lengthy process to adopt. Many people find it hard to understand why we have the policies and procedures we do, but in the end, we want to protect the dogs from ever being abused or abandoned again. That also means knowing our limits and placing them in properly checked adoptive homes.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Animal behavior has come to be a passion for myself, Marja, and Rosemary. We tend to gravitate to the behavior dogs and have become quite good at fixing them over the years. It is certainly no easy task, but seeing a shut down or fearful dog trust you is the greatest gift on earth. Personally, my greatest accomplishment would be Louie. He is my sporting Pomeranian that does agility and FastCat. Louie came to me in 2022 at 1 year old with a long history of severe bites. He was rehabbed behaviorally, went through training classes with me, and then we felt he needed a job, so we started agility. Before we knew it, we bonded, I adopted him, and our sporting career began. Louie has a wall of ribbons now at 5 years old for agility and FastCat. He is also in the top 10 fastest Pomeranians every year. This year he is participating in FastCat Invitationals in Branson, Missouri where we hope to place in the top 2 Pomeranians in the United States (hope is the key there).
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was shy, but always competitive, participated in many sports, but mainly LOVED animals. We lived on 10 acres so we had several hunting dogs, rabbits, chickens, and cats growing up. My competitive side and loving family pushed me to overcome my fears and blossom into an outgoing and vocal person that stands up for those that can’t stand up for themselves. This is likely why I pursued a career as a pediatric nurse and then created Peace Love and Poms Rescue with my two best friends.
Pricing:
- $350 adoption donation per dog
- $250 adoption donation for senior citizens 65+ per dog
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peacelovepoms.rescuegroups.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peaceloveandpomsrescue/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578053235633&rdid=88YNPJdNj343SOQj&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1HgyWbNbVW%2F#
