The Queen of Baltimore Rescue
UPDATE: 11/13/19: Thomas is still rescuing animals in Baltimore! Please donate and support his efforts! at My Big Gay Animal Rescue.
For years, Thomas Butler rescued cats from the streets of Baltimore. He would take in strays, have them vetted, and care for them until he could find a home for them. Sometimes they stayed.
He spent time volunteering at many rescues in Maryland and Pennsylvania, doing his homework, finding out what worked and didn’t in the world of rescue. He finally decided to start his own rescue, and a year and a half ago, in a whimsical moment, he thought of the name. Part homage to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and part an acknowledgement to the LBGT community, he founded My Big Gay Animal Rescue.
The mission:
To rescue and re-home homeless animals. Based in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, we know too well the isolation, frustration and pain from being on the “outside.” We want to connect LGBT individuals, families and our friends with animals in need of a home, and we welcome anyone else interested in helping us save innocent animals from an uncertain future.
This is a growing sentiment, and so important in both the world of rescue and for the LBGT community. As fashion designer John Bartlett wrote in a recent Huffpost Blog, Rescue Pets and the Gay Community, a Natural Match?
I wanted to do something with impact, move out of my comfort zone, and be responsible for another creature besides myself for once. Adopting a homeless pet was the solution for me, and almost instantly upon meeting Tiny Tim, my life began to take shape for the first time.
My Big Gay Animal Rescue focuses on cats and small dogs, especially those that are hard to place, such as animals with medical conditions, or those who have become kennel aggressive due to being in a long-term kennel environment. At this point, like many small rescues, it is based out of Thomas’ home and a network of fosters, who care for animals like Gigi, a MinPin, who has a degenerative disc disease and knee problems, and was slated for euthanasia. While surgery is not an option for Gigi, Thomas keeps her happy and pain-free. However, when taking in animals from private citizens, there is always a dialogue about ways to prevent the surrender, such as help with vetting, food, and other expenses related to having a dog or cat. Keeping an animal in their home is the ultimate objective, and if there is any way to do that, the rescue helps the owner to do so.
He works with Dr. Tuckerman at Aardmore Veterinary Hospital, who has been caring for Thomas’ animals for 12 years, as well as Dr. Key at Everhart Veterinary Hospital for specialty diagnostics and Herbal/Chinese medicine treatments.
Rescue is expensive and fundraising is a challenge. Thomas specifically does not blow up social media with tragic pictures of injured animals in the hopes of fundraising. He doesn’t want to “make everybody cry”, as we all did when the (in)famous Sarah McLachlan video first appeared on TV several years ago. Instead, he wanted to put a fabulous touch to his fundraising efforts. And what could be more fabulous and fun than drag shows?
For the rescue’s first major fundraising effort, Dragon Shawnna Alexander arranged and hosted a drag show at The Rowan Tree, in Baltimore. The event was a success, not just because of the money raised, but because of raised awareness and positive reactions. In addition, it appealed to Thomas because,
I need to have fun, as we all do. Any time I can have a chuckle, especially about something serious like rescue, I want to.
He is planning another event for this October, tentatively titled, A Night of Scary Dragons. This idea has gone over well with the dragons, who are, according to Thomas, “good natured girls.”
His other fundraising efforts include “Five Dollar Fridays”, where sponsors can donate through Paypal directly to the vet or to the rescue. He estimates he spends approximately $800 a month of his own money on rescue. Thomas believes in the power of numbers and having a lot (his group has a new website and 1300 supporters on social media,) give a little. He is a rescue partner with BARCS and receives “plea” emails from them on a daily basis, as do all rescue partners. While Thomas’ rescue is relatively small, it fills an important niche, the hard-to-place animals, who are waiting for, in the words of Christine Sandberg, founder of Baltimore-based Rescue Well, “the unicorn adopter”; that rare adopter for special needs animals. And he will continue his mission to bring, in the words of Jennifer Carle, author of Raising Raven, “more sass and less ass” to the world of animal rescue.
P.S. This Friday, June 10th is Five Dollar Friday! Why not click this link and donate $5.00 to support this awesome rescue?
Love what you read? Want to follow us closer to get all the latest Legendary Women news? Then sign up for our monthly newsletter and also our Medium collection
