Our Story

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Roughneck Rescue & Sanctuary is a no-kill, non-profit 501c3 organization that rescues dogs in need and gives them a safe place to live for the rest of their lives. We are run by volunteers and rely solely on the generosity of friends and supporters. Roughneck Rescue & Sanctuary has a great leadership team in the board of directors; Danny Davis-President, Barb McWhirter-Vice President, Margaret Mayol-Secretary & Treasurer and Kelly Davis-Program Director. We feel so blessed to have brought together such an awesome team that is completely dedicated to helping dogs.

Roughneck Rescue & Sanctuary is located in Belleville Michigan, in the agricultural area of Sumpter Township. We are “cage free” and have 5 fenced in acres with a pond and lots of room for the pack to roam and play. With lots of fun dog stuff to do, daily structured exercise, lots of leadership and affection, it’s a great place for a dog to live. 

How did we get started? Danny and Kelly met in 2011 at Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue. Danny worked there and Kelly starting volunteering walking the dogs. Through long walks in the woods with Danny’s pack and lots of conversation about dogs, they decided they wanted to buy a house for a place to live and rescue dogs. They wanted to stay in this area and had specific requirements to be able to get a kennel license. At that time, Danny lived with his large pack in a pole barn without running water. He used kerosene heaters to stay warm in the winter and would have to go into the main house to use the facilities. Danny and Kelly stumbled upon this house that had been a foreclosure and wasn’t even on the market. It was owned by a guy who had gutted it and was going to fix it up and sell it. Danny and Kelly knew this was the perfect place, but needed cash to buy the house, make it habitable and have enough money for fencing. So at 49 years old, Kelly cashed in her entire 401k. Yes, huge penalty and a large tax ramification, but it got them just enough cash to be able put their plan into motion. Danny, with his own two hands, remodeled the inside of the house and fenced in the entire 5 acres, pulling the fence with his old van. In no time, they were full with rescued dogs and there was simply no room for boarding dogs.

Danny and Kelly were married in June of 2017. Their house is small, with not much human furniture, but rather where dog beds line the walls. It is full of love and lots of laughter!

The promise. To every single dog that lives with us here at Roughneck Rescue & Sanctuary we promise. We promise that you will never be left outside on a chain, you will never live in a crate, you will never have to roam the country roads looking for your next meal. We promise you will never have to experience abuse or neglect again. We promise, we will give you your best life. We will protect you and fulfill you every single day in body, mind and heart. Through exercise, leadership and affection, you will be able to relax and just be a dog, doing fun dog stuff every day. Free to run with your pack on these five acres, swim in the pond and have fresh healthy meals every day. From your first day here and every day, until your last day…we promise.

You will be pleased to know that 100% of all donations go directly to aide with the daily care of the dogs; food, vet bills, heartworm preventative, flea & tick, heating & cooling and the list goes on. Roughneck Rescue & Sanctuary does not have any paid employees. Only with the help from our friends, family, volunteers, donors, those that care about the well-being of dogs in general, that we are able to continue with our operation and save more lives. 

Our organization earned a Bronze Seal of Transparency on GuideStar USA! This allows our community and potential donors to see our commitment to transparency and easily contact us for more information. Check us out: guidestar.org/profile/46-1001088.

Rescue Bank held a story contest of rescued dogs and cats and had 600 submissions. Roughneck Rescue won 1st place in the Best Dog Video category - the story of "Saving Momma" and we won 3rd place in the Best Dog Picture category – “The transformation of Little Danny”. Rescue Bank granted us $400 for the video and $100 for the picture. Needless to say, we were surprised and thrilled to have won this honor. Rescue Bank provides much needed food for shelters across the country. Roughneck Rescue & Sanctuary is so blessed and thankful to be part of the Rescue Bank community. 

People always ask us “What is a Roughneck?”.   It's just the nickname we gave this pack of amazing creatures. When it came time to come up with a name for the rescue, it was the most obvious choice. The nickname really suits them!

Thank you for reading our story and for your encouragement and support! We can’t do this without friends like you!