Lawrence County woman living her childhood dream
By Lilly Adkins
BSN Associate Editor
PAINTSVILLE — A Lawrence County woman is being recognized by the Johnson County Animal Shelter for everything she does to help rescue animals and help them find a forever home.
Johnson County Animal Shelter employee Lisa Trusty Roberts said that Debbie Hinkle of Louisa is one of the most amazing women she has ever had the pleasure of knowing.
“She works tirelessly arranging transports for so many dogs, cats and occasionally other critters out of Eastern Kentucky so they can have the chance to live their best lives possible,” Roberts said in a post on Facebook.
Roberts said she did not know how long Hinkle had been doing her amazing work but that it was “a very long time.” During 2020, there have been 2,500 animals transported to rescues up north, she said.
“She is part of Dumas Rescue and she transports on her own,” Roberts said. “She works with Tonya Conn Ratliff and she runs animals up north every two weeks. If she didn’t, we would be full. She needs help, to be honest. She’s in need of a new van. Hers has a few problems, but she always fixes it and makes it happen. There have been times that 75 or more have been transported.”
Roberts said during an interview with The Big Sandy News that Hinkle does a lot more than arrange the transports. She coordinates everything and arranges to go to a central point where the animals are then disbursed to go to different locations by another transport.
“Hinkle also rescues and fosters and gets the vetting done for animals to they can go on transport,” Roberts said.
“I am living my childhood dream,” Hinkle said on a Facebook post. “To live out in the country and have all the animals I want. Well I have a rescue called Sadie's Place that helps with the animal part and I live in a very rural area on 55 acres. I love being a country girl. Lived many years in big cities of Chicago area and St. Louis but nothing compares to sitting on the front porch watching nature.”
Hinkle, 67, said in an interview with the BSN that she gets her love for animals from her mother, who was “bad about pulling in animals.”
“I have taken as many as 43 to the vet at one time,” she said. “We go to Beaver Creek in Martin. They are really good to work with us there, and they are wonderful.” The animals have to be checked out before they are transported. I have transported as many as 102 at one time, but that’s if you have babies, and sometimes they have them on the way.”
Hinkle confessed that she is in desperate need of a van, a bus or some other vehicle to continue saving animals, because the one she has is costing so much in repairs.
“I had to have it towed from Pennsylvania once, and that was expensive, plus I had to have it fixed,” Hinkle said. “We did a Go Fund Me page when we got this one, and a man who had lost his mother helped us, and we were able to get it, but it was already old when we got it. It would be really nice if a dealership or someone else would donate us a vehicle so we can continue to transport the animals. I don’t know what we will do when this one finally goes down and can’t be repaired any more. It’s a hard trip to make, especially on an older vehicle. I don’t know if they realize it, but if it were donated, we are a non-profit, and it could be a tax write-off for them.”
Hinkle said this is the first year that they have not delivered animals up north on the Christmas weekend and that their next trip is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2021.
“I’ve missed a lot of family functions, but this is important to me, and the animals have always been my best friends,” Hinkle said. “I once told my mother that when I grow up, I want to live on a farm and have as many animals as I want. I sometimes have more than I want, but that’s okay. I can’t believe it really happened.”
Anyone interested in contacting Hinkle regarding a vehicle can reach her by messenger on Facebook or by email at kentuckydeb@foothills.com.