They say the word ‘hero’ is overused these days, but we’ve come across a man who truly deserves the title.
Keith owns the Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue based in Rolla, North Dakota, and he and his small team have saved between 4,000 and 5,000 animals since opening in 2015.
The Dodo shared a video of this amazing man’s work on their YouTube channel. It has since gone viral with over 114,000 views and 10k likes, as people commemorated this amazing man’s hard work.
The non-profit organization struggled for the first two years of opening, but amazingly they still managed to bring in around 20-30 animals per month.
Keith and his family were so committed to helping animals that they actually converted two-thirds of their own home into a shelter. What a selfless thing to do.
Speaking to The Dodo, Keith said:
“I’m not a hero. We domesticated animals as a species and now we’ve got a responsibility to them. I’m just doing my part.”
Keith says that “Each rescue had been a learning process,” but that the shelter now takes in a staggering 60-100 animals a month.
The amazing team has worked on rescues during disasters such as Hurricanes Florence, Harvey, Irma, and Michael, rescuing animals who have become trapped in their homes or on top of vehicles because of severe flooding.
The animals can be very distressed but Keith always approaches them calmly and reassures them that it’s going to be okay. You can really tell just how much he loves animals from watching the video. The animals seem to instantly calm down in his presence.
“The goal isn’t just to save the animal,” Keith says, “the goal is to reunite the animal with its family and that’s the biggest thing.”
Once the animals are safely at the shelter, Keith can then work on treating any minor injuries and trying to reunite the animal with their owners, otherwise find them a new home. But Keith humbly refuses to take credit for all his hard work. He says:
“Rescue is a chain and it starts with the first person who reaches out that sees an animal in need. That’s where I come in and do my part to get them out of there… (I) do the medical assessment, then it goes on to somebody else. Getting them into the adoption program and their forever homes. It’s not just one person.”
But whatever Keith says, we still think that he’s more than deserving of a little credit! Without him, many household pets wouldn’t live to tell the tale, especially during natural disasters. And the best thing about it is that Keith simply loves what he does. He told The Dodo:
“When you’re able to save an animal and get them back to their family, it’s a happy moment. You were able to play some small part in doing that.”
Keith might not be a hero in his own eyes, but we’re sure every single animal he’s rescued will disagree! Keith is truly an amazing man. Watch the video below to see what kind of rescues Keith has taken part in.
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