How Keith Benning of Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue saved 7,000 animals (and counting!)

Our dog Mac was found with three siblings and his mom on the Turtle Mountain Animal reservation back in 2018; he came to us about 14 weeks old, still processing his de-wormer (which was gross, but necessary), but with a face that demanded forgiveness each time he pooped on the floor. Four years later, I still feel really grateful to Keith Benning and the whole team of staff and volunteers at Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue (TMAR) for this silly companion that brings me so much joy and the fact that they’ve delivered the same experience to thousands of others.

Very proud to have an episode highlighting Keith Benning and the admirable work he and his team are doing. They are currently building a new shelter building, a significant upgrade to their current facility which is run out of Keith’s garage, and I’ve agreed to help manage that project, so you’ll be hearing more from me about that as the project goes on. If you want to donate to TMAR and help them save animals or get this project fully funded, do so here. They need ~$1.7 million to completely fund the project, so it’s going to take a village of donors to do it!

Shownotes courtesy of We Edit Podcasts

Adopt, don’t shop! Animal shelters nationwide are full to capacity, so when you choose to adopt from an animal shelter rather than buying from a breeder, you are saving two lives; the life of the animal you take home and the life of the animal who gets to take its spot in the shelter. While he was working as a Deputy Sheriff, Keith Benning became aware of the high volume of stray, mange-riddled, starving dogs that roamed the streets of his county. Upon discovering that the nearest animal shelter was a two-hour drive away, Keith took matters into his own hands and founded Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue (TMAR) which has saved over 7000 animals to date (mostly dogs and cats, but also some horses, llamas, pigs, and even chickens). Tune in today to hear what it takes to keep an animal shelter going (this work is not for the faint-hearted!), the process that each animal goes through when it arrives at TMAR, the expansion plans they have for their facility, and how you can support their incredible mission!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The number of animals currently being cared for by Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue (TMAR). 
• People who make up the TMAR team. 
• Keith shares the founding story of TMAR.
• The first animal Keith rescued. 
• Advice for how to deal with a stray animal if you come across one.
• Examples of some of the many experiences Brittany has had with lost dogs. 
• The importance of not making assumptions.
• How TMAR helps communities during disaster situations. 
• The hard work that Keith and his team put into TMAR.
• Funding streams that keep TMAR running.
• Transparency as a value that TMAR upholds and how it has benefited them.
• The new TMAR facility that is currently being built.
• The process that an animal is taken through when it is rescued by TMAR.
• Circumstances under which TMAR will euthanize an animal.
• The types of animals that TMAR has rescued. 
• Adopt, don’t shop! 
• How you can support TMAR.

Tweetables:

“Every situation is different and you have to try and not make assumptions.” — Keith Benning [0:16:01]

“We’re not trying to stage anything or sugarcoat it. We’re just being honest about what it is and trying to educate people on what things are like behind the scenes.” — Keith Benning [0:21:37]

“A shelter can only save as many animals as people adopt.” — Keith Benning [0:37:53]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue