A Tale of Grace

Lauren Ladue’s chance animal rescue led her to open a shelter for stray and abandoned dogs in her home.

Story and photos by Elizabeth Piseczny

On Christmas Eve, 2004, Lauren Ladue found an old, taped up Dell computer box in the back of one of Plattsburgh’s cemeteries. Trapped inside was a small, grey kitten and a tiny, black puppy. Skin and bones, the animals were on the verge of death and showed signs of physical abuse. The kitten was in such poor health, it never made it to the veterinarian for care, but Lauren Ladue made her first rescue that night, getting the six month old mutt medical care and taking her home. Noelle, as she has come to be known, is just one of the many animals that Ladue has saved from similar fates, at her in-home shelter, Tails of Grace Animal Rescue.

Ladue explains that she’s “always been an animal lover,” but finding a life-long companion and family member in Noelle, who Ladue believes is a beagle-pit bull mix, was completely by chance. A few short months after her initial rescue, she started taking in additional animals, and soon opened the Tails of Grace Animal Rescue.

Tails of Grace is run out of Ladue’s Plattsburgh home, and also places other dogs in foster homes for temporary care.  A non-profit organization, the business is funded entirely on donations and Ladue’s own paycheck, and as Ladue neatly sums it up, “the economy sucks.”

In order to provide the best care possible, Tails of Grace only accepts dogs. Before sending dogs to a new family, they are tested for behavioral problems, examined by a veterinarian, up to date on vaccinations, spayed or neutered, and treated for fleas. If feasible, the animals are also tested and given treatment for heartworm. With the economy in a recession, humans aren’t the only ones finding more difficulty in getting sufficient health care. “The biggest thing, I think, is medical fees. A tray of distemper vaccines has more than doubled,” Ladue says with a sigh, “One hundred dollars more than it usually was!”  With veterinarian fees increasing drastically, adoption fees have necessarily been raised. “It costs us more to take care of them.”

“The economy sucks.”

Ladue’s work with animals throughout the North Country has gained her attention and has helped her form relationships with other organizations. Tails of The Adirondacks pet supply store in Plattsburgh has been supporting Ladue since she became a customer when they opened almost three years ago, Susan Patnode, owner of Tails of the Adirondacks, says. “She does a great job. We do what we can to support her. We work with her, we donate a lot of foods—broken bags, returns.” Ladue says that with her recent acquisition of seven rottweiler-german shepherd-husky mix puppies, Tails of the Adirondacks donated puppy food to help her feed all of them.

In addition to providing pet care supplies, Tails of the Adirondacks is a resource for Lauren. When people come to Tails of the Adirondacks interested in becoming a pet owner, “we recommend they contact Lauren. We also ask people looking to place their pets in a home to contact Lauren.”  It’s partnerships like this that have helped Ladue when all of her time and money goes toward caring for rescued animals.

At 24 years old, Ladue already has a degree in canine psychology and nutrition, and is currently attending college as a double major in veterinary technology and business, to better operate Tails of Grace. “I don’t think my friends go to vets anymore. They just come here,” she says.

Tails of Grace isn’t just a shelter, but a complete rehabilitation center for dogs. “Her friends call this place doggy boot camp,” Melissa Senecal, a foster parent with Tails of Grace and now a close friend of Ladue’s, says. Senecal adopted Lucy, a walker hound- Labrador mix from Tails of Grace a year ago, after reading an advertisement for puppies in a newspaper. Senecal and her husband, Garfield Sorrell, help Ladue with the dogs almost daily, playing with them, taking them for walks and even just letting them out to learn how to socialize with other dogs. Senecal and Sorrell also help Ladue by caring for the animals in her home while she is out of town rescuing other dogs. After the experiences Ladue has had with the abused dogs she has taken into her home and the people who previously owned them, “she doesn’t trust just anybody,” Senecal says. 

Donations have not been coming in readily, but Ladue is making due with what she’s been given. “Believe it or not, I also have a ‘real job,’” Ladue jokes about her employment as a waitress. But she also admits, “We’re very lucky.” 

Sometimes, people in the area tell Ladue they’ve just heard of her and think her work rescuing animals is great, donating items or money.  “A lot of people want to do more,” she says, but more often than not, those who make contributions are closer to the business.  Pet parents who have adopted from Tails of Grace, as well as people who form a connection with Ladue because of her work, are more likely to be return contributors.

The recessed economy has created problems not only in pricing out veterinarian fees, but also for caring for animals in more basic ways. Prices for animal care items have risen, and it’s not just affecting animal shelters. It’s causing a domino effect, because families are forced to shelter or abandon their dogs. With more dogs without homes, more are having to take up residence in shelters, are sent to kill shelters or end up on the streets, exacerbating the already strained situation of strays.

“We’re very lucky.”

Ladue finds that taking care of the dogs isn’t as difficult as having to tell people she can’t accept them. In the past two months, she’s received calls from case workers for two families who can no longer keep their furry family members because they’ve lost their homes.  Ladue can sympathize with these families.  “I don’t have children. My dogs are my kids. I can’t imagine losing them.”

Have you ever adopted a pet?