Dog Star Rescue to Host Fifth Annual Charity Golf Tournament
May 19, 2025
June Highlights: Building Progress, Big Wins, and a New Way to Give Back
June 28, 2025
May 21, 2025: If our last update was about dreaming big, this one is about getting our paws dirty — literally.
Since moving into our new building, it’s been a whirlwind of progress, possibilities, and powerful partnerships. While we’ve still got work ahead, what we’ve accomplished so far has made one thing incredibly clear: the dream is becoming reality.
Last week, we held our first official Volunteer Demolition Party, and calling it a success would be a serious understatement. Volunteers showed up in full force — hammers, goggles, and smiles ready — and helped tear down the walls of what used to be a patchwork of office rooms and storage spaces. With guidance from Aldrich Construction and dozens of passionate Dog Star supporters, we took the first major step toward transforming the back of our building into not one, but two Star Gyms — large indoor multi-purpose spaces that will be used for adoption events, behavior training programs, and community outreach.
When we first walked through this building, many of us saw a confusing maze of mismatched rooms. But our founder, Dan McCabe, saw something more. He saw potential. Where others saw drywall and drop ceilings, Dan saw dedicated meet-and-greet rooms, a veterinary care area, a volunteer lounge, and flexible indoor training spaces that would allow us to weather the unpredictable New England seasons while continuing to serve dogs and adopters without skipping a beat.
We’ve always believed in setting our dogs up for success. This building is our chance to do the same for our team, our volunteers, and our community.
And speaking of community…
Another huge barrier came down recently, thanks to an exciting new partnership with A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford. When we realized we needed architectural renderings of what our finished space would look like, one of our volunteers had an idea: why not turn to the talented students right in our own backyard?
We reached out to the school’s architectural design program, and their staff responded with enthusiasm. The students took on Dog Star as a real-world client project — complete with a tour of our current facility, a deep-dive Q&A session about our challenges and vision, and a walkthrough of the new building with our contractors. They left with copies of our floor plans, photos, and a mission: bring our dream to life through their designs.
Their creativity blew us away. The students not only delivered thoughtful, detailed renderings that help us communicate our vision to the public — they also gained hands-on experience with client communication, deadlines, and collaborative design. In return, we’re thrilled to support them with letters of recommendation, portfolio-worthy projects, and our deepest gratitude.
It’s partnerships like these that remind us: Dog Star Rescue isn’t just building a new home for dogs. We’re building a stronger, more connected community — one wall, one volunteer, one student at a time.
We can’t wait to share more with you — including the unveiling of the students’ final renderings soon!
Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and thank you for helping us keep breaking down barriers, together.