The building has definitely been a game-changer for our rescue. Not only did it get all the animals out of our house lol but it gives us a place for visitors to come and a place to teach classes. We've had a number of homeschool classes come and we hope to do even more in 2022. 

The building is 1500 sq ft and it filled up immediately! We have been operating at capacity for months. We were even over capacity after a large surrender and had to use the old snake building as quarantine for a while. We're happy to say we no longer have snakes in that overflow area. 

Looking ahead at 2022, we really want a year off from building projects but I'm not sure that will happen. The iguana building is the oldest space on the property and needs major upgrades. In reality, we really need a whole new building to build better iguana enclosures. We also need to expand the tortoise area again as most of the juveniles are getting too old to house together. We've been getting in so many tortoises lately that we've even adopted one out recently. We will continue to be very picky and selective when it comes to adopting out sulcatas but it may be something we need to do so we can continue to help as many as possible. 

The biggest news for 2022 is that Tesla, the tegu, has retired from public events. Tesla was taken in by another rescue when he was young and then passed along to us when they closed. He has spent his entire life educating people of all ages. He has done amazing things with his life but being a beloved public figure is a stressful life for a tegu. We estimate Tesla to be around 14 years old. So it's time for him to retire and spend his days lounging under his lights and relaxing as king of the house. He'll still be seen here at the rescue and may do a few classes here but for the most part he will spend the rest of his days living the spoiled, lazy lizard life. His younger brother Kilo will be taking his place at events. Kilo isn't very fond of them yet but he's getting a lot better. 

​Fresh Start Rescue Inc officially incorporated in mid 2017. Since that time we've gone from a handful of iguanas to an average of 150 animals at any given time. Our name and reputation is known throughout the US and even in a few other countries. We've built a beautiful new facility and educational trailer, and our event calendar is booked solid for 8 months out of the year. But above all, our biggest accomplishment for 2021 is that we've found wonderful, loving homes for well over 100 animals this year. We can't wait to see what 2022 brings for Fresh Start Rescue Inc.