My name is Linda Ouellette and I was born and raised in Van Buren, Maine.
I have owned, loved and nurtured animals for as long as I can remember.
In the year 2002, as I was driving by the local pound I decided to stop and pay a visit. I soon discovered that there was an alarming rate of cats and kittens being abandoned, not only in my community, but in many other communities along the St. John Valley. The holding facilities, also known as the local dog pounds, have limited holding periods, which can be as little as 24 hrs! In addition, it was obvious that the animals were being kept in a very stressful, unsanitary environment, receiving minimal attention and no medical care. I approached the town council and asked them to allow me to care for the animals at their facility. It was my hope to create positive changes to benefit the animals and the community in which we live.
After a year of service, it became very obvious that the elected officials had no desire to adapt new changes to their present system. Although my efforts had created positive results, it was then I realized how critical it was to adapt new changes for the welfare of the animals and to provide much needed assistance to this low-income community.
In the year 2003, I recruited help, gathered support for my cause and formed a new organization, known today as Precious Paws Rescue and Adoption, Inc.
Since the onset of Precious Paws, I have dedicated countless volunteer hours and have been working relentlessly 7 days per week recruiting volunteers and working to form the building blocks for success. I am very thankful for the volunteers that have supported this mission, but I also realized that this is a tremendous undertaking that requires a large team effort. I firmly believe and trust that with patience, perseverance, collaboration, support and continued dedication, Precious Paws Rescue will eventually accomplish its many goals. Over the past 30 years, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and business management skills and feel fortunate to have this experience to help me along the way.
My drive comes from the love that I have for animals and the need to make life for them a better place to live . It is my strong opinion that animals deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion.
My mission is to create an organization we can all be proud of and form friendships that will last a life time.