The Last Resort Animal Rescue and Sanctuary
West Milford NJ
Our Staff
Nancy Warner, President and Founder of The Last Resort
Nancy has been a Veterinary Technician and Animal Rescuer for 17 yrs. She has vast experience with all animals and has rescued, rehabbed and released many orphaned and injured critters over the years. She an expert in animal care, behavior, psychology and nutrition. From a young age, it was clear that she had a divine connection with all animals. She has been saving them and protecting them since she was a child.
She realized very early in life that she was given a gift, although to some it would seem a burden, she has embraced her gifts and talents and employed them for the sake of all creatures that have crossed her path. Combined with her experience in veterinary medicine and wildlife rehabilitation she has saved hundreds of animals.
She has operated a rescue out of her home and also with the help of local foster homes and barns for over decade. She has dedicated all of her time, love and money to the welfare and well being of animals and has the skills and experience necessary to ensure all the animals in our charge get the care and rehabilitation they so desperately need and deserve.
Samantha Grieves, Vice President and Co-Founder of The Last Resort
There are many people who love animals, but few are born with such a love for them as Samantha. She has been an animal lover and advocate since she was old enough to have a voice. She has helped many animals and been a voice for all that she encounters. It has been her lifelong dream to rescue animals. A year ago she never imagined that she would be the vice president of her own rescue organization.
Samantha is a very special person who cared enough to rescue a special needs dog "Mr. Magoo" who suffers from the many complications of a head trauma , along with her 2 other dogs (both rescues), Abbie who is a lab/pit mix and Nalu (above), a husky mix. In wanting to help save more animals she signed up as a foster for the rescue but ended up falling in love with her new foster child and has permanently adopted him.
It was instantly very clear that combining our strengths and skills, working together we could do so much more good for so many more animals. She has been instrumental in the coordination and founding of The Last Resort and is dedicated to carrying out her life's mission by saving the lives of animals.
Harriet Dunkerley, Secretary and Head Trainer of The Last Resort
Harriet has been a volunteer for a local animal shelter for many years and has been certified as a dog behavioralist. She operates her own dog training business out of her home and is also a first-time mom.
Aside from being our Secretary and Treasurer, she will focus on training and behavior therapy for these animals to help them become balanced and whole again so that they may be adopted and live in harmony with people who love them.
She is a talented trainer and an asset to our team on many levels . She is diligently working with these dogs to heal the damage that has been done and helping them to live happy balanced lives.
Michele Bradley Co-Vice President/Adoptions Administrator of The Last Resort
Michele , a lifelong animal lover , long time Vet tech and Veterinary MRI technician in Northern NJ for almost 2 decades , rescued her first dog Raina while in Aruba on vacation 10 years ago . Like most homeless dogs on the island , Raina was hungry, weary, and needing help . Michele could not stand to see how these dogs were living and decided that she had to do something ! She brought Raina to a local vet and then persisted to have her flown home to NJ by air . Raina was the love of her life for almost a decade but has since passed away. Raina still lives on with each dog her mommy now saves.
Michele's lifelong passion for dogs is even stronger now and after seeing a video of the "gas chamber" she has again decided that she has to do something !!! She has since commited herself fully to rescue.
Her take charge attitude , experience and great instincts make her a wonderful asset to our team and she plays a crucial role in the rescue , overseeing adoptions and screening , taking much time and care to ensure each and every dog is matched with the perfect family and best environment for his/her needs . She is also a dedicated foster mom for some of our more challenging cases and has given up her home and all her free time to helping them acclimate to living in a home while making them more adoptable so their forever homes can be found .
We also have a network of amazing people that volunteer their time and efforts to get these animals safely into the hands of their rescuers and we thank them all from the bottom of our hearts for everything they do!
A special thanks to Rhonda Sims (who with the help of her amazing network of volunteer drivers) has single-handedly coordinated the transports of hundreds of animals from death row in high kill southern shelters to the waiting arms of their rescuers and adoptive families.
Without her diligence and dedication so many more would be left to an unimaginable fate! She is truely a "FurAngel"
You can visit her website by clicking the image below.
