07/24/2026
This is a good time to publicly admit what many already know.. Star-Mar is permanently closed. I've struggled with this decision off and on and leaving when the need is so great is painful. But the need being so great is part of the decision to shutter Star-Mar. There are no foster homes. Too many people are sadly overwhelmed with their own day to day lives and even a temporary addition tips the scale physically, emotionally and financially. I understand!
And then there's the money issue and the once but no longer avaliable support. Star-Mar began when Sharry Starner and I started Star-Mar; the first part of Sharry's last name and the first part of my first name. Sharry's husband is an equine vet and owned a 3 generation vet practice that also served small animals. To say Star-Mar had its every need met with little expense is a vast understatement! Thousands of dogs went through our rescue during that time. Some stayed and were adopted from us and others were sent into other rescues. It was a wild and extremely gratifying time.
One of the small animal vets at the clinic left and opened his own clinic. At that time I had Star-Mar by myself. Sherry raised, trained and raced Standard Breds and had too much on her plate.
I decided to go with Vet Joe to his new practice. Once again it was pennies on the dollar. Joe lives in Holmes Co. and knew the need. He had a small practice in his home and I worked side by side with him for a long time. He was super, he shared the passion for rescue and I thought the world of him but a health condition ended that relationship.
I went back to Mairs Vet Clinic but things were changing. The small animal vets were not as eager to assist rescue and eventually Rich (Sharry's husband) sold the small animal part of the clinic. Before the sale Star-Mar had functioned under a pay agreement that capped procedures. A spay for a large dog was capped at $150. A small dog at $100. Most of you know the current, extremely high prices for spay neuter. A major dental was capped at $150. After the sale a major dental would exceed $600 with a rescue discount of 10%. This tremendous increase in prices on everything was debilitating. At times we asked for donations to offset the much higher prices we were now paying and the small but mighty Star-Mar family responded.. Thank you!
As you know, with commercial breeding dogs, most have major medical needs that are addressed prior to adoption. For the last 2 years the average Star-Mar rescue dog has had average medical expenses $600 and up. With an adoption fee between $400 and $450 that simply doesn't work . So, for the last 2 years I have personally funded most of Star-Mar's expenses. That is not a sustainable way to run a rescue.
Sadly, like so many other wonderful rescues right now, we are closing, unable to make a dent in the current need, no longer able to afford the medical care that these dogs need and deserve and no longer able to handle the emotionally toll that rescue puts on those involved.
I'm admitting to being weak and probably always will be. I'm keeping my rescue license with the State so I can allow my weakness to win at times. But that will be a personal commitment to that dog that I will take on knowing that it will be a big financial loss.
I want to thank the Star-Mar family for years of support, for often multiple adoptions, for SUPER foster homes and for the many deep friendships that have be formed. It's been 25 years of an incredible ride that has brought about major changes in the comercial breeding practices, has taught me many lessons in patience, in how to let go and how to care for dogs in a way that supports their immune system giving them the opportunity to live far beyond their normal life expectancy. AND SO MUCH MORE!
Star-Mar will ALWAYS be available to all adopters. We will continue to facilitate getting dogs into other rescues and with the help of Janet WJ, will keep up our Star- Mar Rescue Natural Care Fb page, and no doubt Janet and my rescue weakness will raise its head from time to time and those dogs will be up for adoption.
It's good to be able to say that I would change very little of these rescue years.
From myself and from the thousands of dogs whose lives were saved.
WE THANK YOU more than words could ever say!
