Pet project

By Brooke Fisher

Enterprise writer

LAKE FOREST PARK — Molly Bard is a rescuer by nature and a dog lover at heart.

And, she combines these two qualities.

This makes her not only a dog’s best friend, but also a nominee for the Jefferson Award for public service for her dog rescue work.

Bard, a long-time Lake Forest Park resident, has rescued more than 300 Chihuahuas. As a Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (SPDR) representative for Chihuahuas, Bard has rescued an average of 22 Chihuahuas a year for 15 years. She recently retired from her volunteer work, but will likely be involved in rescue work on a much smaller scale. Bard, for instance, has six dogs she cares for at her home, dogs who could not be placed for various reasons, including old age and medical problems.

“What could be sadder than these tiny little animals that shake and shiver in the pound,” Bard said. “That is the worst.”

SPDR is a non-profit, volunteer organization with the goal of placing unwanted and abandoned purebred dogs into new homes. SPDR reps, such as Bard, often deal with dogs who are difficult to place. She generally cares for older dogs who have been abandoned by their owner, because they are hard to care for.

Bard believes that dogs are often companions for lonely people and bring a lot of love into homes. She said that although the Jefferson Award is for people helping people, her work really does help the people who adopt the Chihuahuas.

“I get a lot of letters thanking me,” Bard said. “Their dog saved their life, because they were in depression.”

As a SPDR rep, Bard has received criticism for taking almost any Chihuahua, regardless if it is a show dog. Some reps, she said, are very selective when choosing which dogs to shelter temporarily until a new home can be found.

“If they say they are part Chihuahua, I go get them,” Bard said.

Burton Bard, Bard’s husband, who has assisted his wife on several rescues, said she has never had a dog put to sleep.

“I don’t think in 15 years she ever set a dog to be put down,” Burton Bard said. “She always managed to find a home for it or it would end up here.”

Bard’s love of rescuing animals has been a pastime of hers for quite some time. In 1947, when she was in sixth grade, she used to bring dogs home and would use her allowance money to buy dog food. Her father was in the forest service and she said she often lived in lonely places and appreciated the companionship dogs afforded her.

Over the years, Bard has received phone calls that necessitated her immediate attention. In 2002, Bard received a call from a man who was going to jail and who had 15 Chihuahuas shoved into a bedroom. Bard was instrumental in finding homes for all the dogs, with the exception of two, who could not be placed and now reside in her own home. The man in jail would call Bard every month for a year to check on his pets.

Bard was nominated for the award by Cecily Liebold, a former neighbor and the person she said who encouraged her to first apply to become a SPDR rep.

“Everyone has a niche in the world and rescuing animals, which everyone sees as trivial, is an important part,” Liebold said.

Liebold said she nominated Bard for the Jefferson Award because Bard rescues animals that would otherwise end up being put to sleep. She has constantly been impressed by Bard’s dedication to rescuing Chihuahuas and keeping them alive and said Bard takes dogs who are crippled and gives them much-needed love. Chihuahuas provide companionship for people, who perhaps do not receive enough attention from humans, Liebold said.

“These animals in the long run help people, who need companionship, attention and affection,” Liebold said. “It has been found scientifically that people with pets live longer.”

The Jefferson Award honors people for their service to the American people. The award was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Sen. Robert Taft Jr. to honor people’s service to the American people. The Seattle-Post-Intelligencer has been the Washington state sponsor of the award since 1976.