Animal Friends of Westmoreland has new name, but its mission is the same

The sign on the door has changed, but the mission remains the same.

Animal Friends of Westmoreland, a Youngwood-based, no-kill animal adoption and sanctuary organization, is now called Heal Animal Rescue.

The name change had been under discussion for several years for several reasons, according to executive director Kelli Brisbane.

There has been some confusion among members of the public with the similarly named Animal Friends in Pittsburgh, she said.

The new name and logo provide a single image for the organization’s Youngwood shelter and large animal sanctuary in Unity, which sometimes have been perceived as two separate operating entities.

“We’re integrating our social media platforms,” Brisbane said. “We’re not just for the dogs and cats, we’re not just the farm animals, we’re one cohesive brand and one organization.”

Eliminating the “Westmoreland” label also speaks to founder and board president Candy Valentino’s vision of broadening the organization’s footprint.

“I always envisioned us being a national organization, one without limits on its impact, without boundaries on its abilities and without restrictions of its mission to save as many lives and heal as much pain as possible,” she said.

The name also speaks to the healing that can take place both for animals coming to the shelter and sanctuary and to the humans who interact with them.

“When deciding on a new name to broaden our organization beyond just the county, the word ‘heal’ kept coming up,” Valentino said. “It really sums up what we do at the heart of our mission. We rescue the abandoned, the abused, the disregarded — and we rehabilitate them. We heal their hearts, heal their wounds, and allow them to heal from their pain.

“But what most people don’t realize is that through that process, they heal us,” she added. “They rescue us right back. The unconditional love that they give — it’s one of the most precious gifts on earth.”

“How many times have you heard the quotation ‘Who rescued who?’ It’s true,” said board vice president Jessica Rafferty.

Valentino founded Animal Friends of Westmoreland in 2006. The former owner of Platinum Salon and Spa in Youngwood is now an Arizona-based business strategist, speaker and entrepreneur.

Animal Friends started with a shelter for dogs and cats at 216 Depot St. in Youngwood, with space for about 30 dogs and 35 cats.

In 2017, the organization purchased 62 acres of farmland in Unity as a large-animal sanctuary now housing chickens, ducks, mini-mules, cows, pigs, sheep and goats that had been subject to neglect and abuse.

More information on the organization is available at healanimalrescue.org.