"Help us help the animals"

From the Cassville Democrat,
 Wednesday June 16, 2004

A Little Dog Started It All

Beth and Jerry Casselman of Eagle Rock, officially opened their printing brokerage J. B.'s Legacy on May 1.  On June 4, the Casselman's donated $100 from the first month's proceeds to Haven of the Ozarks animal rescue shelter in Exeter.  The Casselman's rescue Dachshunds, and their company is named after one of their first rescued dogs "J.B", now deceased.  Pictured left, from the left are: Beth & Jerry Casselman, Barbara Williams, and Mike Steffen, owners of Haven of the Ozarks.  Also pictured are five of the dogs the Casselman's have rescued and kept.  Jerry Casselman is also displaying one of the cards that their company produces.  Many of their designs include sympathy cards for people who have lost beloved pets.

Love for dachshunds leads to new venture...

By Susan Eschbach

   For the past five years, Beth and Jerry Casselman, of Eagle Rock, have been involved in a labor or love rescuing abused and neglected dachshunds and rehabilitating them.
   During that time, the Casselmans have rescued approximately 35 dogs, three of which have passed on a ripe old ages and five of which they still have. Many more have been adopted by other loving families. The loss of their first two dachshunds, Mary Marie, a female who was 19 years old when she died, and J.B., a male, generated the beginning of a new business for the Casselmans.
   "When Mary Marie died, to get through it, I wrote a verse to her and put it in a drawer, where it stayed for years," said Beth. "Then we lost her brother, and I wrote one to him. I gave a copy to my veterinarian, who wanted it on a greeting card."
   Beth had worked in the printing business and knew how to typeset and hire out the printing, so she started producing greeting cards for people who had lost pets. Local veterinarians and groomer would order cards and send them to their clients.
   Eventually, there were enough orders coming in, that Beth decided she should quit her job at the Roaring River Lodge and become a full time printing broker.

   The new business, named JB's Legacy Print Broker, after one of the dogs that started it all, officially opened on May 1, 2004. The Casselmans plan to donate a portion of their profit each month to the Haven of the Ozarks, a not-for-profit, no-kill animal shelter in Exeter. They also donate cards and other items to other rescue operations around the country. The Casselmans made their first donation to the Haven of the Ozarks on Friday, June 4 with a check for $100.

   "I wish it could be more," said Jerry Casselman, in presenting the check to Barbara Williams and Mike Steffen, owners of the Haven.

   "Oh, this is wonderful, we really appreciate it," Williams said.

   Beth said she became interested in dachshunds when she visited her cousin, who also had dachshunds.

   "I just fell in love with the breed," Beth said. "They have some unique qualities. They are very stubborn but also very loving."

   Their first dog, Mary Marie, had been beaten with 2 x 4's and had broken ribs.

   "She was a fear-biter," Beth said. "My husband couldn't pet her for over a year, because she hated men."

   Mariah Hope was rescued from a life as a breeder in a puppy mill, where the top of her head had been branded and metal cow tags has been fastened in her ears.

   "The ones we've gotten have always been ones that didn't like humans," Beth said. "And that's been our challenge to turn them around."

   Another female that the Casselmans still have, Annie Sue, is now 14. She and her brother J.B., after whom the business is named, came from Denver, Colorado. Both had been kept locked in a dark basement all day. The owners finally realized that was not a good life for the dogs and put them up for adoption. The Casselmans located them through an ad placed by the former owners.

   Amanda is another female who came to the Casselmans from Colorado. "Some people found her wandering in front of their house and decided to keep her," Beth said. "But when she was shut up in the house all days, she wet on the floor, so they tied her to the front porch and were going to shoot her. They called the local pound (animal shelter) and told them to come and get her or they would shoot her. The pound officials picked her up and called us, and we went and got her.

   "Whenever we go to a new town, we always go to the local animal shelter and tell them that we rescue dachshunds, and not to put any down, that we will adopt them," Beth said.

   Zachary, a male, is a beautiful long-haired miniature dachshund. He was rescued from a puppy mill that dumped him because he refused to breed. An animal shelter in Wichita, Kansas, contacted the Casselmans and they went to pick him up.

   Molly, their newest dog, was also a "mill baby" that had been adopted out by a rescue organization. But the people who adopted her thought she was too fat and didn't feed her for several weeks. According to the Casselmans, the new owners then complained to the animal shelter that she "lays around too much."

   "What did they expect her to do?" Beth asked. "She was starving. She was another one who is afraid of people.

   "And then there was Jordan. We just lost him last summer," Beth said. "He would jump up when it was time to eat and injured himself and was paralyzed twice. We couldn't afford to do the surgery, so we used the more conservative technique, restricting his movements. It took several weeks, but it worked both times."