PEYTON — One of the child actors in the "Home Alone" series (Kevin McCallister's older sister Megan) and the star of the 1991 movie "Big Girls Don't Cry...They Get Even" (Laura) is helping to raise awareness about the dogs up for adoption at the National Mill Dog Rescue in Peyton, Colorado.
Hillary Wolf Saba is also a two-time Olympian in Judo (1996 and 2000). She recently began posting a series of touching videos with the dogs at the rescue, many of which have never been outside of a cage.
"We just cleaned everybody's kennels and they had breakfast," Wolf Saba says as she takes a cell phone video of her holding two dachshunds up for adoption.
Wolf Saba loves showing off the personalities of the rescue dogs she's met as a volunteer.
"That looks pretty cozy," Wolf Saba says to one Boston Terrier in another cell phone video.
It's an idea she got from her mother who wanted more than just their pictures.
"I could barely pet you like a week ago," Wolf Saba says to another dog. "Look at you now. Look how brave you are."
"A photo is one thing, but seeing seeing how they are, and seeing how sweet they are and all their personalities, (my mother) just absolutely loved it," said Wolf Saba. "It was her suggestion for me to post it on Facebook because she thought, 'If I love it, how many of your friends that are dog lovers would love to either volunteer, donate money, just bring awareness to what they're doing here?'"
Wolf Saba has spent alot of time volunteering over the last year and a half. She's even joined NMDR founder Teresa Strader on last minute trips out of state to rescue dogs from breeding facilities known as puppy mills.
"We had been to a dog auction, which I didn't know was a thing, and we scooped up the last of the dogs that weren't purchased for several dollars each," said Wolf Saba. "I spent two days taking care of these dogs that just came from a life of living in a cage and being bred over and over and over."
Strader says the volunteers who show up day after day mean the world to the non-profit.
"You see somebody like Hillary and go, yep, that's the kind of passion we need for so many reasons to do the work we do around here," Strader said. "This is not easy work. It can be gut punching. (Hillary) comes here and does this work with a giant smile and all this energy, and has found homes for our dogs, difficult dogs."
"Zuma are you ready for your very first pup cup," asks Wolf Saba in another video where she takes one dog for a ride to get a special treat.
Dogs like Zuma who have been at the shelter longer than normal. (Zuma was adopted shortly after we interviewed Wolf Saba. See his new owners below).
"He came in his fur was almost like a different color, it was so dull," said Wolf Saba. "He had these spots all over his body where the fur wasn't growing, probably malnutrition. These dogs don't get any medical care until they come to us really, no affection and socialization."
As difficult as that is to witness, Wolf Saba says knowing the dogs are getting a second chance at life keeps her motivated to help.
"It's the first day of the rest of their lives," Wolf Saba said. "I just choose to look at the positive of it now. It's a means to an end. It's the last bad ride they're gonna have. Once we get them here, they get checked out by the vet, and they get nutrition, and they get love, and I know that it's just gonna be the road to recovery. I just feel lucky to be a part of it. I feel such joy when I step in the doors."
National Mill Dog Rescue has rescued more than 21,000 dogs in the last 17 years. To see their dogs available for adoption click here.
The rescue is hosting a fundraising gala coming up on October 19 at Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs. It's called "Barks, Boots, and Bling." Tickets are available. Click here for more information.
Click here for a link to Hillary Wolf Saba's Instagram page.
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