Old Mason Animal Rescue

Old Mason Animal Rescue of Ohio (OMAR) is a grassroots organization dedicated to “Changing the Lives of Forgotten Pets.” OMAR is centered in Erie County, Ohio, and works throughout the state, and even throughout the country at times. Formed in March of 2003 by Rose and Steve Lener, the rescue has made tremendous strides in just three years of hard work.

Our Director, Rose Lener, and our Head Volunteer, Janet Freehling, dedicate 40 or more hours a week for the rescue. Steve Lener helps with the website, coordinates owner-releases, drives transports, and does many other odd-jobs. A handful of other volunteers work part-time but also play very significant roles in fulfilling our mission of helping animals.

OMAR rescues pets from Ohio kill-shelters, as well as taking owner-released pets which would otherwise be put to sleep or taken to a kill shelter. We take pets (mostly dogs and cats) on a case-by-case basis, depending on whether we have the funds or space for the pet in need. We try to avoid taking animals are vicious and not good candidates for placement in a permanent home or that would endanger our volunteers or other pets in any way.

OMAR is not an animal shelter in the traditional sense. We do not have a bricks-and-mortar shelter facility. All “rescued” pets live in private, volunteer “foster” homes, as part of the family. We have foster homes located in both Erie and Huron Counties. These foster homes benefit both the pet, as well as adopters. The pet receives personal attention and training, sometimes even behavioral intervention. Foster homes benefit adopters because foster caregivers can educate the adopter about any special needs of the pet, as well as what to expect when they take the pet home.

We also conduct “owner-assisted” adoptions, in which the pet stays with the current owner until it is brought up-to-date with health needs and a new home can be located. Current owners usually are active in this process of choosing a new home for their pet, and for his/her special needs.

The pets we take into our program receive a physical and behavioral assessment by RoseAnna Lener, who is also a certified Veterinary Assistant. Dogs and cats are brought up-to-date on necessary vaccinations and most dogs and cats are spayed or neutered before placement. If not done so before, those pets are released on spay-neuter contracts with the adopter. The adopter’s veterinarian usually receives notification and a copy of this contract. We follow up to make sure the surgery is done by the date agreed upon in the contract.

OMAR has a stringent adoption interview process. The first step is the initial contact with the prospective adopter. If we feel comfortable, the interested party receives an adoption application. They make a small donation to our organization to assure their interest in adopting the pet. We check a personal reference and a veterinary reference. A volunteer also visits the home to make sure it is a safe place for the pet to live. We meet all the family members to make sure they all want to adopt the pet. If everything looks in order, an Adoption Agreement is signed, a donation made, and the pet goes to his or her permanent home.

After adoption, a volunteer continues to communicate with adopters, to assure that the owners and pet are adjusting and getting along OK. If at any time an adopter has problems with the pet, we try to provide counseling to help them get through the problem, or resources to find help. We work with a dog trainer that has offered valuable advice to our Director about pet behavior on many occasions. If the pet has to be returned to us at any time, we take the pet back into our program with open arms.

Note: PO Boxes will not show correctly on the map below.