Hers was a hectic, high-powered life of a lawyer, but Tania Isenstein was thoroughly unhappy with it. After years of practicing law, she felt her life needed a greater sense of purpose, and so she bought a life that was more service-based and fulfilling. That lead her to the world of dog rescue, and in the process, Isenstein helped save the lives of hundreds of lost souls.
After she walked away from Wall Street, Isenstein decided to purchase a dog care facility not far from her home. She purchased Camp Canine in Manhattan, and operated it as a daycare and boarding facility. But she realized that the facility had more room than she had dogs to fill it, and that's when she decided to open up that spare room to dogs who needed fostering.
Isenstein said, “After some soul searching, I realized that the one thing in the world that ALWAYS makes me happy is dogs…I came up with the idea of a doggy daycare. I looked at a few in Manhattan before I discovered that Camp Canine was for sale. Not only had I brought my dog to Camp many years ago, but it is located literally on the street that I live on – just 2 blocks away. I decided this was meant to be!”
Then Isenstein went a step further by teaming with Animal Lighthouse Rescue to help homeless dogs, called "sates," in Puerto Rico. Isenstein explained, " [Animal Lighthouse Rescue] wanted me to work with them – which I happily agreed to do. Until 2017, I served as a foster home for the satos. (During that time I met and fell in love with my sato sidekick Nacho.) At the end of 2016, I stepped up to become the Chair of the Board. We have managed to keep the group afloat – and then [Hurricane] Maria hit!”
Indeed, Hurricane Maria devastated the group's efforts to protect the satos on the island. The Animal Lighthouse Rescue shelter was completed destroyed, and Isenstein and the group had to start over from scratch. It has been a costly effort in both time and money.
Despite the obstacles, Isenstein is still helping to rescue the dogs on the island who are in need of assistance now more than ever. “Many of the shelter employees lost their homes, and many who didn’t still do not have electricity. [Contractors] are up to 3 times as expensive as they would be normally. What we have been able to do so far is pay our $30,000+ vet bill for housing and treating dogs during the hurricane. We have also purchased a powerful generator which will be installed soon," Isenstein explained.
"I am planning to travel down there to assess and hopefully get things moving in January or February. In the meantime, our employees continue to take dogs into their homes and send them to us for adoption. ALR has saved over 35 dogs post-Maria," said Isenstein.
With Isenstein's efforts, Animal Lighthouse Rescue has saved over 1,000 dogs in Puerto Rico; 250 of those dogs have been fostered at Isenstein's Camp Canine facility.
Isenstein left the world of law to become a dog rescuer, and there are at least 1,000 dogs out there who thank her for that decision. Want to help out Animal Lighthouse Rescue? Follow them on Facebook, and follow Isenstein and her rescue dog, Nacho, on Instagram. Share this inspirational story with your friends and family on Facebook.