Bath County woman is starting a rescue to address growing animal need

BATH COUNTY, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Ashley Bennett is starting Strays and Runaways Rescue, a nonprofit aimed at placing animals in foster homes and helping them get the care they need.

“Neglect, abuse, strays — and all these people are complaining, but nobody is doing anything,” Bennett said.

Bennett says she has seen the effects of animal neglect firsthand, and the need is personal.

“Most of my paycheck goes to feeding cats and dogs. A lot are mine, and a lot aren’t,” Bennett said.

Nearby shelters and rescue groups from surrounding counties say they are already stretched thin — and Bath County animals are adding to that strain.

A Cats’ Meow Feline Foster volunteer said since Bath County doesn’t have a shelter, they are the ones taking in the animals.

“We’re their shelter. That’s what it is. We find their resources.”

Pet owner Banford Wilson says the absence of a dedicated facility in Bath County is something the community has felt for a while.

“We need a place to put our strays and rescues. We got a big need and it seems to be growing,” Wilson said.

Wilson pointed to neighboring counties as examples of what Bath County is missing.

“I work in Nicholas County — they have an animal shelter. Menifee County has a shelter, and Bath County is bigger than both of them. So why can’t we have one ourselves. That’s my question,” Wilson said.

Bennett hopes to have the nonprofit up and running next year. She says she also hopes it sparks a broader conversation about how Bath County handles animal care in the future.

“I would be more than happy to partner and do just as much work as the shelter would be doing, because that’s what it will take,” Bennett said.

For now, Bennett is focused on building a network of foster homes and resources she hopes can help fill the gap for animals with nowhere else to go.

If you want to learn more about Bennett’s nonprofit, click here.