(Old) About Us

ABOUT US

Sasco Sports, Vintage Car Racing Prep Shop and Tire Dealer, owners Robyn and Dave Handy have been involved in vintage racing for over 40 years. Their hearts, however, go far beyond the track. They share a unified love for animals and belief that all four-legged friends deserve a forever home. The area where the Handy couple resides has the third highest euthanasia rate in the nation. The shelters are having to end precious lives of cats and dogs daily, all ages and breeds, due to lack of space, no funding, and unreached adopters. Often these shelters take in 20-30 animals daily.

NC shelter statistics show that just last year, intake was around 246,000 animals, and 55,900 of those had their lives ended due to lack of resources. Around 60% of those that made it out alive, survived because of rescue organizations. These astounding numbers hit the animal loving couple hard, and in 2013, they began to foster these precious animals in their home.

Since that time, they have personally fostered close to 1000 of their canine and feline friends. In 2016, after seeing the urgent need for funding, Robyn and Dave Handy decided to form Vintage Racers for Rescues as a fundraising entity for various rescue organizations. The four board members in addition to Robyn and Dave are all part of our vintage racing family. What began as a small dream has grown into so much more!

Between 2016 and 2019, over $50,000 was raised by Vintage Racers for Rescues, which they used to help a number of rescue organizations with special medical needs for dogs and cats and funded two area spay/neuter programs. The spay/neuter programs sponsored through Vintage Racers for Rescues allow families who may not be able to afford it otherwise, a way to prevent overpopulation and more lives on the line at area shelters.

In addition, they continued to serve as the advocates for hundreds of animals they pulled from rural shelters. Vintage Racers for Rescues took on their first major project for the Caswell County Animal Protection Society and Shelter where they put into motion plans to turn the facility’s run down and unsafe after hours drop box (a place where people place animals they no longer want or have found as a stray after business hours) into a new enclosed temperature controlled space that can be locked once the animal is placed inside. This not only protects the animals from escaping into dangerous territory, but also protects them from the weather and individuals who scout these drop boxes to steal animals used for inhumane purposes.

Vintage Racers for Rescues, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is only beginning to embark on their path to saving lives. In August 2019 they decided to not only foster for other groups, but to “pull” animals from shelters as their own rescue group. They felt they could save even more lives by having their own network of foster homes. It was an enormous undertaking but the goal was achieved and surpassed. Between August 2019 and August 2020, 563 dogs and cats were rescued, vetted, fostered, and adopted out by Vintage Racers for Rescues.

At any given time there are up to 30 foster cats and dogs in the care of “Handy Country.”  In the other 10+ foster homes who volunteer for the rescue, puppies, adult dogs, cats and kittens are lovingly cared for as well. Each of these animals is fully vetted, microchipped, spayed or neutered, and rehomed with only the best applicants after a complete screening and vet reference check.

With proper funds in place, they hope to greatly expand their rescue capabilities and success even more. That will include sanctuaries for older and unadoptable feline friends, more foster homes and the support they need, and adding additional buildings on their property, Handy Country, to foster more cats and dogs on a daily basis. They will continue to push forward their fundraising efforts until the euthanasia rate decreases, as well as shelter intakes. It’s a long road ahead, but a passion and love that will lead the way to make great things happen.