Volunteer and Customer Betrayed by Mission-Driven Organization
Buddy's Second Chance Rescue and Buddy and Friends Dog Daycare are operated by the same person, Julie Starr. Her daycare explicitly markets itself as funding the rescue, claiming that every day of play helps rescue dogs find homes. As someone who volunteered for the rescue and provided financial support via daycare for two years, I believed in that mission. However, what I experienced on May 29th and Julie Starr’s responses proved otherwise. It was disappointing, infuriating, and I felt utterly betrayed. Their publicly available financial statements tell the rest of the story.
Mackenzie, Julie Starr’s daughter and the daycare manager, whom I had never met until May 29th, was noticeably cold and unwelcoming before my dog had any interaction with anyone. When I returned to pick up my dog, Mackenzie made a false, undocumented accusation that my golden retriever "bit" her, that my dog was barking (this is most likely true), and that my dog would not share the playset with other dogs. I was provided no video despite my formal request, no evidence, just an accusation. She suggested I find another daycare. I had never received a single warning about any behavioral concern in the last two years, yet that day, Mackenzie made it sound as though my dog had a serious behavioral issue. When I pressed for details, I learned that Mackenzie completely mischaracterized my dog’s jumping as “biting.” Jumping and biting are fundamentally different behaviors.
False “bite” accusations carry serious, devastating consequences for dogs and can lead owners to surrender their pets. That is the exact opposite of this organization's stated mission. My dog is a high-energy Golden Retriever – that is precisely what a daycare is designed for. Every accusation felt like a pretext to push us out the door.
I contacted Julie Starr directly. Her response was an unappreciative, non-apology that defended Mackenzie without addressing a single specific concern I raised in the email. More importantly, she did not even acknowledge my volunteer work for her rescue, my two years of financial sponsorship via her daycare, or my referrals. As a volunteer, I processed adoption applications - a role that included home visits at my own expense, applicant interviews, veterinary reference calls, and follow-up with applicants who had questions or concerns. It is time-consuming, personal work. Not once did she say thank you. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry if you felt that the way …”, “If she acted any kind of way that was out of the ordinary, I will apologize for her” (emphasis added by me). An organization that asks people to give their time and resources, and money to save dogs, should, at the very least, acknowledge those who show up for them. A simple thank you would have gone a long way.
I found this unappreciative response and the decision to turn away a volunteer and customer profoundly unsettling, and I felt it was important to investigate further. As a nonprofit, Buddy's Second Chance Rescue is obligated to make its financial statements publicly available. The filings show remarkable revenue growth in recent years, while Julie Starr's compensation tripled from $26,000 to $75,000 between 2020 and 2024. This is a 188% increase just within the last five years. You can independently reach your conclusions about why a dedicated volunteer and business were no longer valued.
The bottom line is that Julie Starr needs to remember that it is her volunteers and her customers that built this rescue, not her or her daughter.