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Healthy Paws pet insurance has donated $150,000 to three animal rescues in Georgia and North Carolina, including one that lost its shelter and all its assets in the wake of Hurricane Helene in October. The recipients are Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in North Carolina; and Luck’s Rescue and Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta, both in Georgia.
The donations are the first since Chubb acquired Healthy Paws last April. Healthy Paws previously ran its own foundation to benefit homeless dogs and cats. The Chubb Foundation will be making additional donations to animal rescues in 2025.
“We appreciate the way all of these rescues have cared for companion animals in a very difficult situation and are proud to support these organizations with this donation,” said Dave Lupica, Vice President, Chubb Group.
About Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
Donation: $100,000
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue impacts the lives of thousands of dogs, cats and small animals each year through adoption and pet retention programs, a low-cost mobile spay and neuter clinic, lifesaving shelter transfer partnerships and extensive volunteer and foster networks.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of Florida and North Carolina, the group has set up a temporary shelter and plans to rebuild in a new location. Even as it works to rebuild, the rescue is helping to care for animals who were lost in the storm and reunite them with their families, or find adopters.
“We are the only lifeline for thousands of animals every year, and this is the time when they need us the most,” said Executive Director Leah Craig Chumbley, on the group’s website. “The heart of Brother Wolf is not a building; it’s all of us coming together to impact both people’s and animals’ lives in a positive way.”
Here are a few of the ways Brother Wolf has helped animals recently:
- In 2023, the group adopted out 1,585 animals, transferred 907 animals from overcrowded shelters, provided 795 low-cost vaccines, and spayed or neutered 2,383 pets.
- Just this week, they rescued a toy senior dog named Sugarplum, whose family had died, leaving her alone for weeks. “Today, her life took a new turn—a hopeful one,” the rescue said.
- A tiny kitten they named Sprinkles was found in a ditch on a cold day. He was so small, shivering, and struggling to hold on. The shelter rescued him and took him to an emergency vet for round-the-clock care. He pulled through and is now available for adoption.
- They took in three puppies who were orphaned when their mother was hit by a car. The puppies are fine and available for adoption.
- They provided medical care to a pit bull named Blu who had been trapped under trees in the hurricane rubble for days before she was freed.
The Chubb/Healthy Paws donation helped Brother Wolf meet its year-end goal of raising $300,000 to rebuild.
“On behalf of everyone at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, I want to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible $100,000 donation from Healthy Paws,” said Brooke Fornea, Director of Strategic Development. “Your kindness and belief in our mission mean more to us than words can convey, especially during this challenging time. The road ahead is long, but we are confident that Brother Wolf will rebuild stronger than ever with partners like Healthy Paws.”
To learn more about Brother Wolf and how you can help, visit their website at www.bwar.org.
About Luck’s Rescue
Donation: $25,000
Luck’s Rescue is located in a rural part of Georgia (Trenton) without any government animal control, shelter, leash laws, and spay or neuter services, leaving dogs and cats homeless and suffering, said the founder Audray Luck.
When Audray moved to Trenton several years ago, she said it was the worst animal welfare situation she had seen, despite living in 40 places around the world.
Audrey started rescuing dogs informally a few years ago and decided to form her nonprofit after she encountered many dead and sick dogs in a hoarder’s house and could not get any help from law enforcement or local officials. She also had an Instagram post that went viral and gained her 20,000 followers.
Luck’s Rescue has stepped into the void by providing temporary refuge to dogs through foster volunteers, seeking transportation of dogs to out-of-state adopters and rescues in Northern states (where they have a better chance of being adopted), and helping people keep their pets by providing food, medical care and spay/neuter services. Audray is well known locally as the “dog lady” and will personally visit the homes of dog owners to offer them dog houses, food, and support. She said a big part of her mission is educating people about responsible dog ownership.
Here are some examples of how Luck’s Rescue has saved animals in the past year:
- She rescued a scared mother and litter of puppies found living under a shed. The mother and puppies were anemic with fleas, parasites, and ringworm. She sought medical care, and the dogs are recuperating.
- She rescued multiple dogs from a property where they were chained up and neglected.
- Someone had left a puppy alone in the middle of nowhere. Audray took him in and noticed right away that something was wrong. He was vomiting and had bloody diarrhea. Her vet has started treating him for parvovirus, which is fatal if not treated.
- A German shepherd dog was left behind when the owner moved away. She was on her own for weeks before she was discovered. Audray found a foster parent for her and covered some basic medical care.
As a small and newer rescue, Audray said she never expected to receive a $25,000 donation this year and she is honored to be selected.
“When I heard about it, it brought tears to my eyes and hope for the future. We are going to spend it carefully to save as many dogs as possible,” she said.
To learn more about Luck’s Rescue and how you can help, visit their website at www.lucksrescue.com
About the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta
Donation: $25,000
The Great Pyrenees Rescue is a foster-based nonprofit that accepts owner-surrendered Pyrenees or mixes, and pulls them from shelters in the Southeast U.S. Since its founding in 2010, it has rescued and rehomed about 3,000 dogs.
John Heldrich, the rescue’s founder and president, said the donation will be applied to medical costs, which are the rescue’s largest expense. Each dog they rescue costs an average of $2,200 in medical costs before they are ready to be adopted.
Heldrich said they take dogs from shelters that are in the worst shape and are scheduled to be euthanized. About a third of them come in with heartworm, which is expensive to treat.
“We don’t care how old they are or what their medical condition is because we will make sure they receive a comprehensive medical evaluation, spaying or neutering, and even behavioral training, if necessary,” Heldrich said.
Dogs who are not adopted because of their age or medical conditions stay in the care of their fosters to live out their lives while the rescue covers their medical expenses.
Heldrich said he admires Great Pyrenees for their livestock herding skills, but also for being protective, loyal pets. The breed dates back to ancient Roman times and they can weigh from 100-130 pounds.
“Great Pyrenees are gentle giants who make wonderful family pets and are great with children,” he said.
Here are some ways the nonprofit has helped dogs recently:
- They have rescued 151 Great Pyrenees dogs in 2024.
- In July, they rescued a Great Pyrenees from a hoarder’s home with 37 other dogs. He had mange, ear infections, parasites and was severely undernourished. The rescue paid for all his medical care, and he’s now a healthy dog.
- In September, they took in two young Pyrenees mixes from a shelter that had to be evacuated because of toxic fumes from a nearby fire. The dogs were treated for a flea infestation and updated on vaccines and are now up for adoption.
- They took in a dog named Fred who had been chained to a tree for his whole young life and had suffered deep lacerations from getting entangled in the cable. A care team treated his wounds, anemia and multiple infections, and he slowly recovered. Today, he’s a happy dog, getting to enjoy the puppyhood he was denied.
To learn more about the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta and how you can help, visit their website at greatpyratlanta.com
