LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Anita Spritzer has been saving animals for as long as she can remember.
“It started at five years old when I rescued my first kitten from the laundromat we were in when we were doing clothes in New York City,” recalls Spreitzer. “My mom always knew when my brother and I were kids that we had a dog hidden in the basement because we would take half our supper and put it in a napkin and bring it downstairs.”
What was a childhood passion has become a lifelong mission. Anita moved to the Bluegrass 15 years ago and found a place where her desire to help others was needed.
“I always say that God had a very keen sense of humor bringing me here because the animal rights laws are a mess. We see a lot of hurt dogs and a lot of dogs who have been through a lot. The spay and neuter laws are not tough enough here.”
That led her on a two-year journey throughout the U.S. and Canada to learn how to rescue and care for animals. Now in Kentucky, Anita runs Paws 4 the Cause, which rescues hundreds of animals every year and finds forever homes for them.
And Anita’s dedication and personal sacrifice are far above anything you might imagine.
“I wake up at 7:30 in the morning, and I go to bed around 10:30-11:00, and I do rescue all day long. I don’t have a husband because you can’t have a relationship in your life when you do this."
“Rescue doesn’t stop. People ask me all the time, 'Why don’t you put your phone down for 24 hours?’ and the problem is that, for me, if something happens and there’s an animal’s life on the line, I don’t want to feel guilty that I took a day off and took a break and didn’t try to help them. Everybody has a special purpose in life, and what is my purpose, and what am I good at? I’m good at animals and placing animals with people."
“I just feel that it’s a gift that God gave me and I’m very blessed to have it. I’m gonna do this until I take my last breath, no matter what.”
