Debbie Wallace is a firm believer in the healing power of love.
That’s why love is part of everything she does at her Down by the Creek Companion Animal Sanctuary.
Located at 27136 151st Ave. in Long Grove, Wallace has operated her sanctuary out of the home she shares with her husband, Ron, and son, Dusty, for the last 16 years.
Prior to operating Down by the Creek, Wallace was an Air Force wife for 23 years. She worked in education and provided home care for a senior citizen. She also trained as an EMT.
After returning to Scott County, she worked at the Fejervary Park Zoo in Davenport. “I was one of those volunteers that every church and every school wants to have.” But she primarily considers herself to be an educator.
Wallace’s first rescue came to her while she was still working at the Fejervary Park Zoo. Brownie was considered a “throwaway dog.” Left alone and abused, he eventually froze to the porch, leading to severe injuries. Wallace took him in and loved him back to health, and Brownie proved to be receptive to that love. “I could have entered him in obedience contests,” said Wallace.
A life’s mission
Wallace says all her life’s experiences brought her to rescuing animals. “Our mission is rescue animals to rescue people.”
One of the first steps in rescuing those animals is to ensure their wellbeing. Wallace relies in part on her EMT training.
“An animal comes in and they are scared. Who knows what they’ve been through? So, the first thing – and this is my EMT training – secure all the things that make a life happen. Are they well? Can they eat … is everything working?”
One of the first stops is usually the vet’s office. Wallace has five veterinarians on retainer. “I insist on doing a full bloodwork panel on them right away, so that we can assess if there are any problems we need to deal with, with medication or with prescription diet.”
Once she’s secured the animal’s health, Wallace immediately establishes a trusting relationship.
Wallace recalls the rescue of one dog, who arrived at the sanctuary after being driven across two states. He arrived filthy and terrified. “And of course, I don’t know the dog, he doesn’t know me. So, I was fearful,” said Wallace. “And finally, I got close enough that I could put a leash on the dog.”
Wallace learned that the dog had been thrown out of four groomers for aggression prior to arriving with her. “But it turned out the dog was just a good fooler. He never did bite anybody, he was just scared,” she said. “He figured out that if he intimidated everyone, they’d stay away from him. But that wasn’t to his advantage. He needed to work with the humans.”
Eventually, the dog learned to trust. Wallace says it was a process that couldn’t be rushed. “That was one of my big success stories.”
But every animal has its own story. “You have to accept the baggage. There always is some. To love them for who they are, where they’re at in their life,” said Wallace. “All the baggage makes them unique.”
Her home has been adapted to accommodate the animals, with the carpet removed and moveable fencing installed to help wrangle the dogs. So, if an animal has an accident, Wallace doesn’t scold. She simply makes sure the animal sees her clean up the mess, without any positive or negative reinforcement. This helps with the trust building process. “Once you know the baggage and understand as much as you can from where they came from, I can see and appreciate their efforts to be better.”
As the animals heal, they become part of the pack at the sanctuary.
Every animal has a story
Out in the yard are chickens and ducks. Inside the barn lives Hamlet, a potbellied pig who used to belong to a drug dealer. He shares space with several turtles and tortoises. Elsewhere in the barn is Shorty, a miniature horse, and Corona, a Shetland sheep who was taken in during the pandemic.
Inside the house, the basement is taken up by kennels and animal habitats in every room. Nearly a dozen dogs hang out in one room. In the next, Wallace has a rabbit, a guinea pig, a chinchilla, white rats, a pair of sugar gliders, and a pair of degus, which are closely related to chinchillas.
Continuing through the basement, there are kennels for several cats, and aquariums with more turtles and tortoises. Upstairs, on the main level, are additional kennels for the dogs, and a room for birds. Hiding somewhere in the house are Sarah the cat and her 6-week-old kittens.
The stories spill out.
Sarah was surrendered shortly after her kittens were born. Wallace is working on socializing the animals, and they are slowly learning to trust her.
Rex the rat was found abandoned near a home in Davenport. Shortly after he was taken in, the tip of his tail fell off, due to frost bite. In spite of this, Rex is thriving in his new home.
Ada Mae, the chinchilla, was an emergency surrender. One of her back legs was completely broken and had to be amputated. But she’s doing just fine now. “The animals adapt,” said Wallace, while feeding Ada Mae a snack.
The dogs came from all over. Some were surrendered when their owners could no longer take care of them. Wallace takes one of the pups over to see his “person” at The Fountains in Bettendorf from time to time.
Others were taken in after being rejected by breeders for not being up to breed standard. Wallace still remembers one of the first dogs she took in, during the early days of her rescue career. The breeder said the dog was “stupid” and was more than happy to let Wallace take him. With a lot of love and patience, Yeller went on to become a therapy dog, and even acted in Countryside Community Theatre’s production of “Annie” in 2010.
Fonzarelli, the greyhound, came in with a broken back. The previous owner said he had injured himself, but a veterinary exam told a different story. “He was kicked,” said Wallace. While Fonzie still has some residual health issues, his back has healed, and he frolics with the other dogs happily.
Finding a forever home
While most of the animals at the sanctuary will stay, a few will be rehomed if Wallace finds the right combination of person and animal.
“We don’t fix dogs (or other animals) with the purpose of rehoming them,” she said. But from time to time, Wallace sees an animal that starts to bloom, or one that would benefit from being in a smaller family.
One example of this is Cash, a poodle mix who recently went to live with his forever family. The process was not quick though. “Cash, he came in so pitiful, so beaten,” said Wallace. “To see him evolve and become the character he was, was so rewarding.”
Wallace met Cash’s new owner through one of the veterinary clinics she works with. The woman said she was looking for a dog she could cuddle with. “Cash, from the beginning, I could see he was very needy, and he liked hugging and being hugged like he was a tiny dog or a baby. So, I looked at it like he had a skill. If that matched up with a certain human, that could be a real benefit to that person. And that’s just how it turned out.”
For any animal that goes through the rehoming process, Wallace requires the new family to make a minimum of six visits to the animal at the sanctuary to ensure the adoption will be a perfect fit. Wallace also tries to have as much information on a prospective new owner as she can. “There’s no quick ‘blue light special’,” said Wallace. “People have tried that. They think they’re going to pick one of my dogs and leave. That ain’t happening.”
When it’s time to go to their new home, Wallace said she can sense the animal is ready. “That dog will look straight ahead. Now Cash, that about broke me, because he looked back … but you could see he was ready to move on. I took that as a ‘thanks.’”
Wallace said it’s never easy to see them go, but it helps her to know that the animal has found its purpose. “I’ve fallen in love with them, and they were here to stay, in my mind, unless I saw that they were needed somewhere else. Just to be that in-between person, to help them be all they can be for the last chapter of their life is a thrill for me.”
Covid changed the way Wallace shares her mission. Prior to the pandemic, she took the animals out for hundreds of outreach events a year, visiting nursing homes, libraries and more. “The rooms would fill with people. It made their day, just being around animals, hearing their stories. I discovered on this journey that I was a storyteller,” said Wallace.
Although she misses being out in the community now, she prefers to welcome volunteers of all ages to her home and sanctuary.
The yard is capable of handling a bus from a senior center. Residents can get out and play with the dogs in the yard, or Wallace can bring the pups on board for folks who might not be as mobile.
A community mission
High school students also frequently volunteer as part of service projects or to fill graduation requirements. Wallace said the students are mostly from North Scott and Pleasant Valley, but she’s also had young people from several of the Davenport schools. Wallace said four Boy Scouts have done their Eagle Scout projects at the sanctuary. She’ll soon have a fifth Eagle Scout project, as a local Boy Scout plans to construct a heated outdoor kennel for the dogs.
In addition to welcoming more volunteers, Wallace also embraced social media, doing several Facebook posts a day, frequently posting photos and videos of the animals, as well as health updates. Cash’s new family has provided updates that she’s shared as well. She said she enjoys the community she has built up on social media.
She never solicits for animals, and says she actually says “no” most of the time she’s asked to take one in. The situation has to be just right. She does not take in injured wildlife, though she does have resources for people that do.
She also doesn’t advertise animals for rehoming. “I haven’t adopted out lots of animals over the years, compared to other places. But when they come in here, they already are home. They’re one of the family.”
But for the ones that do move on, Wallace said she knows that animal has a purpose somewhere else. She said she’s always keeping her eyes and ears open.
Wallace plans to keep rescuing and rehabilitating animals for as long as she’s able. “I feel like everything I’ve gone through in my life has come to this. And to be able to rescue animals is such a joy and honor. But it’s not going to be for everybody. The way I look at it, you have to have some innate qualities and life experience to really do it lovingly and well.”
And the reward comes in loving the animals and getting that love back.
“Once the dog trusts you, then we move to the next level … they’ll try hard. And then next thing you know, they’re part of the whole family. They’re moving with the group. They’re learning how to be a good dog, good dog, which is something I tell them they are. And that’s all they want to be.
“It’s a beautiful set up we have here. We’re blessed to be here.”
For more information on how you can donate to or volunteer at Down by the Creek Animal Sanctuary, visit downbythecreek.net.