Close to Home Animal Rescue is wasting no time getting to business.

Not only is the rescue celebrating its first adoption, but co-founder Amy Quinlan recently drove to Cleveland to rescue a spaniel/golden retriever mix mother named Precious and her six 18-day old pups - Precious' third litter in 14 months!

While the owner was sad to turn Precious over, she admitted she did not have the money to give her dog the life she deserved. Neither could she provide proper healthcare or daily living care, nor keep pets inside per her rental agreement.

Instead, Precious was tied to a dog house, her puppies with her, outside in the cold. A neighbor, Connie, had called local rescues in July when Precious' owner was planning to take another litter of her puppies to the pound. They had been roaming all over neighbors' yards, she said. Yet even after that close call, still without a spay and exposed to loose dogs, Precious became a mama again.

For the final rescue Close to Home partnered with Under the Wing Rescue of Cleveland to get all the dogs into a training and fostering program at an anonymous Northeastern Ohio women's prison. Amy assures me they are indoors and being doted on 24/7. "Once the puppies are weaned they will be going to foster homes with Under the Wing and Close to Home Animal Rescue," she said. "Precious will hopefully stay in the prison for an eight-week course for training."

The puppies and Precious should be available for adoption through both rescue groups once the puppies turn 8 weeks old, about January 15.

Amy thanks the neighbor, Connie, for donating $50 toward medical bills for Precious and her pups. She also thanks Under the Wing, which not only accepts dogs in danger, but also animals in need of short-term care while their owners have major surgery, go off to Iraq or have other commitments.

The rescue also commends Connie's 7-year-old granddaughter, Maizie Reese, who contributed the $22 she earned at a lemonade stand. "She was very sad when she would visit her grandmother and see that Precious was tied to the dog house and forced to live in such conditions," Amy said. "If only everyone understood such compassion."

Veterinarians give rescues a discount but cannot give free care, and normally the cost of vetting, medications and living expenses do not get offset by adoption fees. To learn more about Close to Home, visit its new Petfinder page here or read my introductory blog here.

Amy, thank you for all the great work you're doing!

-- Sandra M. Klepach, SKlepach@News-Herald.com