POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Ace and Callie both live and work at Hadesty's Hardware in Pottsville. Thanks to the Fresh Start Animal Rescue League, businesses within Schuylkill County can now adopt cats without paying a single adoption fee.
"Our job is to find homes for animals," said Laura McHugh, the president of Fresh Start. "If that means someone sponsoring the adoption fee for one of our animals, cat or dog, then we will certainly do that. If it means getting an animal out and into a home, where it should be, or a store like Hadesty's, then we are willing to do whatever we can to make that happen."
Fresh Start rescued Callie from a hoarding situation. Ace had been on the streets. Now both cats have a new home at Hadesty's Hardware. The store is the first business to take part in Fresh Start's new animal rescue initiative.
"It's important because you never want to see an animal out on the street. And a lot of these cats and dogs that Fresh Start gets are animals that come out of abuse houses where they were neglected, hoard houses where one of these cats have come from," said store manager Jolene Renninger.
Fresh Start worked with Hadesty's Hardware to match them with the best cats for their store.
After living at Hadesty's for a month, both cats have grown to become healthy, playful animals and are known for their excellent customer service skills.
"We said Ace and Callie would be perfect. They are friendly cats, but they wouldn't jump on people. They wouldn't run out the door, things of that nature. They're very calm cats and just enjoy being around people," McHugh said.
"People stop and pet them and are friendly with them. We've had a positive reaction to them so far, which I'm grateful for," Renninger said.
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