Brooksville rescue saves injured dogs from euthanasia

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (FOX 13) - A Brooksville family is saving the lives of sheltered animals.

It all started when Mandy Figarola met her dog, Ziggy at a shelter. Ziggy was in bad shape and was on the list to be euthanized.

"A lot of dogs pass through our home, a lot of dogs pass through our rescue, but Ziggy is the dog for me," she said. "I ended up taking him from the shelter and his eye was hanging out. So doc had to remove his eye. So, he is very, very special."

She was so moved by the experience, she started Ziggy’s Legacy Rescue, which saves dogs with serious health conditions that may otherwise be euthanized. 

"We take the injured, last call dogs. So the ones that are on the euthanized list for being injured," said Mandy. "The ones that other rescues pass up or just can't help do to funds or space."

Mandy started the grassroots effort with her veterinarian husband 10 years ago and has helped more than 7,000 dogs.

"We saved their lives, and we vet them, and we give them hope, and we give them love, and then they find loving homes," Figarola said.

The rescue's impact is much larger than its actual size.

"On Facebook, people think we are this big giant rescue organization. When it is really just myself, my son, my husband," Figarola said. 

She tries to cut back but, "I open the e-mails from the shelters and I see the dogs that need help and it just pulls me back every time."

The non-profit is self-funded, but they do accept animal food to give out to needy pet owners.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/AsapAnimalClinicRescue/.