FELLSMERE, Fla. — Ted Pankiewicz founded For the Love of Paws in Fellsmere in 2014 — not for profit, but in memory of his late wife.
"We started this in memory of my wife. Starting a rescue or something like that was always something that she always wanted to do," Pankiewicz said.
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That dream grew into a sanctuary serving some of the Treasure Coast's most vulnerable residents and their pets.
"We supply anywhere from 12 to 15,000 pounds of pet food a month to senior citizens, disabled, and veterans that are struggling to feed their pets," Pankiewicz said.
For the Love of Paws operates differently than a traditional rescue.
"We are a sanctuary, we're not a rescue… when your pets come here, they come here for the rest of their life. We take care of them as our very own," Pankiewicz said.
On March 9, I was there as Pankiewicz stood in the ashes of the sanctuary — 11 cats gone and his arms burned from the fire. Since then, the community rallied, raising more than $100,000 for him to rebuild.
The new facility will be built entirely of steel and will include a security system that alerts the fire department directly when smoke is detected, along with an interior sprinkler system.
"The new building is going to be all steel… and we're going to be having a security system put in where the smoke detectors immediately alert the fire department, and there will be a sprinkler system inside too… which I'm sure will piss off the cats, but it's better," Pankiewicz said.
The outpouring of support left Pankiewicz searching for the right words.
"The response from the community was just as emotional as the fire was, but in the opposite… the fire made us cry tears of sorrow, and the community made us cry tears of gratitude," Pankiewicz said.
The new facility is expected to be a cage-free space, with an outdoor catio where cats can roam freely.
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