Today we’d like to introduce you to Tonja Heer.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
In 2010, I was just a girl wanting to spay/neuter stray cats near my father’s home. He lived next to an older woman who was not fixing them, and they continued to breed at an alarming rate. The trapped second cat had 6 babies inside my father’s boat, and I quickly learned how to do adoptions. Once I started, I couldn’t stop, and it simply became a huge passion of mine to help any animal in need. Even as I began having children, I kept pursuing what I loved. Many assumed I would have to quit at some point as I also had a full-time job as a firefighter, but I just couldn’t, so it became a family ordeal! Now my children can’t wait for me to bring animals home so they can help take care of them. Our most recent litter had 4 baby kittens we had to bottle feed, making it easy for each of my children to claim their while in our care.
My passion evolved into Furry Nation Salvation, and we gained a good following on social media. We now have two other animal-loving members, Rebecca Witkowski, on board as our vice president and Candace Park as our director/TNR coordinator. This has helped tremendously, not to mention our fosters, volunteers, and supporters. We have grown so much, and pet education has become a huge aspect of our rescue, as seen throughout our social media pages and blogs. With increased education, pet owners will know how to deal with health ailments their pets may face throughout their lives. To prevent or eliminate specific health issues and reduce the cost of vet bills to help their pets live longer and healthier lives. For example, one topic we talk about often is why cats need wet food given daily! So many don’t know this, which is vital to their health. Since cats have a low thirst drive, they need moisture in the wet food. Wet food is 75% moisture, while dry food is only 10% (huge difference). So, giving our felines wet food daily (limiting the dry food if needed so they are hungry enough) can help them avoid urinary tract infections and blockages, kidney disease, obesity which leads to diabetes, and cardiac issues.
I know I’ll rescue animals for the rest of my life and our future goal is to build a small facility on our land in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
It wasn’t always a smooth road, that’s for sure. I didn’t have anyone to help pave the road. I had to learn as I went, and with that came many ups and downs and a few surprises. I didn’t know much about vet care when I started or how to treat issues on my own, so visiting a vet clinic became quite common, and with that came a lot of extra expenses. Luckily I have learned a ton just by helping so many animals along the way and meeting others with my same passion. I have many medications on hand to treat a broad range of issues and can even help others who may not be able to afford proper vet care this way; the animal isn’t left to suffer. Finding good homes for the pets in our care has also become much smoother as the years have gone on, especially with the creation of our website many years back. We have a detailed application to help find quality adopters and other helpful information. This has saved our rescue a ton of time, as we can send links instead of discussing things over the phone.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m passionate about saving lives in my career as a firefighter/EMT and with any living creature. From saving love bugs trapped in the ocean while surfing, aiding a crab in crossing 2 lanes of traffic (yes, I got plenty of laughs and awkward stares), to helping a bee finish its last meal, I like helping any living thing, I cross paths with. Now I find my 4 children are doing the same, which melts my heart.
Now by having my rescue called Furry Nation Salvation, I can help more pets on a larger scale. We are a 501(c)3 foster-based & volunteered-run rescue located in Florida. We commit our resources throughout Volusia County and surrounding areas to finding permanent homes for abandoned, unwanted, and neglected animals. We can also help individuals in any area of Florida with our Rehoming Assistance Program. With our free program, we can advertise their unwanted pet on 5 adoption sites, including our social media pages, to help place them in a loving and stable home while they stay in the safety and comfort of their own. This way, the pet isn’t at risk of euthanasia in an overcrowded shelter. We encourage pet owners not to consider shelters their first choice when they no longer want their pets but educate them on better methods. We also have tools in our program to help them know how to pick a qualified home, including what questions to ask potential adopters, generic contracts to use, and what information to obtain. My rescue isn’t just about saving lives and rehoming pets to qualified families but also educating them (or anyone we meet) on what to do in various situations to have a successful adoption. I’m incredibly proud of our commitment to educating others, and if you follow us on our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, you will understand. I love educating in schools and plan to do even more when I retire in a few years. Many pets are taken to shelters either because their pet has medical issues they can’t afford or a behavioral problem they don’t know how to fix. With a better understanding of what to do in various situations (Biting, scratching furniture, why cats need wet food daily, why fixing by 6 months of age is key), more individuals will have a successful adoption. We also strive to help anyone with our fast communication, which is extremely important, so people know they are not alone.
Most recently, we created a “2023 Heroes & Rescued Pets” calendar. It not only features our local heroes, Daytona Beach Firefighters, and Police officers with rescued pets but also raises funds, pet education, and awareness of animals in need. This will be our last calendar, but I’m so proud as we poured a ton of time and passion into it. We have more information about it on our website at FurryNationSalvation.Org, as well as a link to our most recent live interview by Wesh 2 news.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Some advice I’d give anyone starting and wanting to help animals in need is to volunteer or foster for a shelter or rescue! Take in a litter of kittens or puppies if you can. This will give you some experience and guidance from individuals already in the field and see if this is something you’d like to do regularly. Volunteer at a local shelter and go through their orientation to get a good feel for how they operate or handle adoptions. The great thing about fostering animals is you don’t have to do it constantly; you only have to help when you can. Please know that we love assisting individuals in getting started, so please feel free to reach out to us anytime!
Pricing:
- Our adoption fees vary depending on the animal.
- Our Rehoming Assistance Program is free, and we can hep anyone rehome their pet in the safety of their own home while we advertise for placement. Go here to learn more: FurryNationSalvation.Org/rehomingprogam
Contact Info:
- Website: FurryNationSalvation.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/furrynationsalvation
- Facebook: facebook.com/furrynationsalvation
- Twitter: twitter.com/furrynationsalv
- Other: TikTok.com/@furrynationsalvation
Image Credits
1st photo (me with my dog and cat from calendar shoot) Jenny Wessler, Oh So Sweet Photograhy
