Hope Is Near for Wenatchee Addicts and Their Furry Companions

An aspiring pet care provider wants to ease the burden on in-recovery addicts.

Tina Mackay, of Wenatchee, is herself a recovering drug addict, clean for seven and a half months. Her sobriety, she says, was made possible by a kindly benefactor and long-term petsitter.

"I had been in [legal] trouble," Mackay recalls. "Up until two days before I actually went to treatment, I had my bags packed. I was going to go on the run because I had nobody to take care of my dogs."

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"But two days before I left, a friend of mine reached out to me and said, 'Hey, I know a guy who has a sister. She heard about what happened to you and she wants to help.' This lady who I'd never met before took my two dogs."

"I was able to call her once a week from treatment. Every time I called her, I got the same response. I'd ask, 'How are my dogs?' and she'd say, 'Focus on getting better. Let me take care of your babies.'" The rest is history.

Mackay intends to pay it forward by launching a foster-based nonprofit for dogs whose owners are undergoing treatment. First she needs to accrue the requisite capital. So far she's raised over a grand for building expenses.

"My longtime friend and chiropractor, Derek Pratt, is allowing me to use some of his land to put kennels on," Mackay says. "Basically, I'm using the GoFundMe to secure a safe place for the pets: get some concrete poured, get kennels built, that kind of stuff. I already have enough money to get my EIN number and get the business started."

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