“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” ― Karen Davison

Elizabeth’s Animal Rescue & Sanctuary is named after Elizabeth Hanna, our Director Sue’s grandmother. Elizabeth was a fervent animal lover, passionate advocate for the animals, and rescued dogs whenever she could. Growing up, Sue would spend summers with Elizabeth in Clear Lake, Indiana and assisted in her grandmother’s rescue efforts. Elizabeth taught Sue the ins-and-outs of rescuing animals during her summers in Indiana. Elizabeth instilled and nurtured Sue’s love for animals; it is only fitting that E.A.R.S. is named after the woman who started it all.

Over fourteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina decimated the state of Louisiana and left hundreds of thousands of people without shelter. Dogs across the state were subsequently abandoned, displaced, and/or injured, and local rescues were overwhelmed. Sue felt a calling to help in the same way her grandmother Elizabeth would have. Sue bought a trailer, drove all the way to Louisiana, and began saving as many dogs as she could. She drove back and forth from Tampa to Louisiana seven times, but in her heart she knew that was where she was supposed to be. Countless dogs were rescued because of Sue, and so Elizabeth’s Animal Rescue & Sanctuary was born.

E.A.R.S. now physically resides on our Director’s property in Odessa, Florida, just north of Tampa Bay. The property spans over five acres, and includes a large pond the dogs can swim in and multiple luscious paddocks to play in. Our organization is volunteer based; each day, volunteers come day and night to attend to the dogs individually. Each dog gets one-on-one attention, medical care, customized dietary requirements, grooming, training, and most importantly… love!

Thousands of dogs have been rescued, rehabilitated, and rehomed through E.A.R.S. We rescue dogs from all sorts of situations, whether it be from the euthanasia list at local county shelters, owner surrenders, strays, or dogs who need critical medical attention. We are a no-kill shelter. No dog will ever “run out of time” at E.A.R.S. They can stay with us as long as it takes to find their forever home.

As mentioned before, E.A.R.S. is run by volunteers. We are constantly looking for dog-lovers who would like to join our volunteer team. If this would interest you, please check out our Volunteer page linked above! We are a tight-knit, micro community who shares a common passion for dogs and philanthropy, and we would love to have you!

E.A.R.S. earned its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 2010. This means that the United State’s Internal Revenue Service has approved E.A.R.S. as a tax-exempt, charitable organization. As a 501(c)(3), all donations and contributions made to E.A.R.S. are considered tax deductible for the donors-- woohoo! We graciously thank all of our generous patrons who have funded our mission throughout the years. E.A.R.S. is entirely run on donations, as we do not turn a profit.

Thank you so much for reading about E.A.R.S. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact us at earsrescue.org or via our Facebook and Instagram messengers.