BEMIDJI — If Marina Lovell has one passion in life it’s animals.
So when she got the offer to become the executive director at Great River Rescue animal shelter in Bemidji — her home for 30 years — she turned in her business consulting coat for a collection of four-footed friends.
“I just always wanted to work in this (field),” Lovell said. “If you asked me before I started here, ‘What do you want to do if money is not an object?’ I would’ve said this. I didn’t just throw my hat in the ring, I wanted this job.”
Lovell took over in December 2023, and it’s been a year of working on the fly amid the chaotic confines at Great River Rescue.
No two days are the same, but with the help of a dedicated, passionate staff surrounding her, the work of selfless volunteers and foster homes and the support she receives from the board of directors, Lovell’s first 12 months on the job have been rewarding, to say the least.
“Working at a shelter, it’s the thing that 99.999% of people say they could never do, and it’s for all of the reasons you’d expect,” Lovell said. “We experience those reasons every day, and it’s so much worse than you think it is, but it’s also so much better than you think it is.”
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Great River Rescue will look a little bit different when Lovell crosses her one-year anniversary mark on Dec. 5.
Back in October, Jeff Dixon Construction and Roofing removed two acres of trees on the rescue’s property as the first step in developing a private community dog park.
Lovell said the intention is to get it fenced in by Wilson and Son Field Service. It’s designed for dogs up for adoption to get proper exercise or to be rented by patrons for a secluded area for a designated amount of time.
Courtesy / Eric Michael Callagan
“Our dog runs were added 10 years ago, which is great,” Lovell said. “The dogs didn’t have anywhere to go outside. But then I get here and I’m like, ‘These poor dogs.’ Then we got Stormfly, our deaf (dog), and she was the one who made me realize that we really can’t ever take them off leash because there’s no way to call her back.”
Lovell added that it’s policy not to let any shelter dogs off-leash outside, which poses challenges. But ultimately, a designated place for dogs to run freely in a fenced-in area should help show their authenticity to potential adopters.
“We have dogs that are here for months and they never get to play,” she continued. “They play a little bit, but nobody gets zoomies, nobody gets exhausted, nobody gets so played out they sleep through the night. How fabulous would it be to have a place to throw a ball or a frisbee to one of our dogs?”
However, the common hurdles for Great River Rescue revolve around funding.
Courtesy / Eric Michael Callagan
Great River Rescue lives on the back of its community. The nonprofit, no-kill shelter is the home of hundreds of volunteers and thousands of contributions yearly.
The shelter also lives on the back of donations.
“I don’t think people realize how much it costs to run a shelter,” Lovell said. “We’ve had people contact us and say they want to donate to us, but they want to make sure that it only goes to the shelter. When we put out an emergency call for funds, that’s what it goes to.”
An emergency Facebook fundraiser is often an effective way to get the funds to save an animal’s life. But many calls to the public go relatively unanswered.
However, every year, Great River Rescue participates in Give to the Max Day, a statewide online day of giving. Funds go to providing care and shelter for pets until a suitable home can be found, and to provide low-cost spay and neuter services.
Give to the Max started in 2009 as a one-time campaign to mark the launch of
GiveMN.org,
Minnesota’s digital home for generosity. It raised $14 million in just 24 hours, birthing a new annual tradition.
In the years since, more than $300 million has been donated to 10,000 nonprofits and schools as part of Minnesota’s giving holiday.
Great River set its goal at $10,000, which was the same goal as last year. The 2023 mark fell short by roughly $2,000.
“I think people think there are a lot of grants when there actually aren’t,” Lovell said. “They have grants for people things, but not a lot of animal things. When I say that we rely on the community, we really rely on the community. The community is our backbone.”
Donations are not always monetary.
Great River Rescue often receives food, toys, accessories, blankets, and care items for their animals. Others donate their time, serving as dog walkers, cleaners and everything in between.
“Volunteers make all of this happen,” Lovell said. “Whether it’s playing with the kittens or walking the dogs, it’s a huge need. Fostering is a huge need. If we had more fosters, we could take in more of the strays that keep coming to us. But right now we can’t because we don’t have foster families to take them in.”
Great River Rescue’s community-first approach is mutual, evident by its commitment to providing affordable ventures for animal lovers.
For the fifth consecutive year, the shelter ran its Pet Fixers program from March to November, spaying and neutering 665 cats and dogs in 2024.
“Not everybody can afford $700, $800 to get their pets spayed or neutered, or get their pets vaccines,” Lovell said. “It’s a cost-effective way for people to give the best care for their beloved animals. It also means the fewer un-homed animals there are, the fewer we get coming in here. It’s a really crucial program.”
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Pet Fixers is a low-cost spay and neuter clinic
for qualified low-income pet owners. One weekend each month, Dr. Paul Anderson and a few veterinary technicians work on 60 to 90 animals.
When Pet Fixers registration opens, reserved slots fill out in minutes. After a $40 deposit and an additional fee, the total cost to get a pet spayed, neutered or vaccinated is often far cheaper than it would be to take them to a vet.
“We would definitely like to expand the program because there’s a clear need for it,” Lovell said. “We’d also like to expand our exam room in the shelter so we can use that for surgeries, wellness clinics — things like that. We’ve done wellness clinics in the past but you have to have a vet to do them. We’d love for veterinarians to volunteer, even if it’s once or twice a year, we’ll take it.”
As for Lovell, her first year on the job has come with learning experiences and her connection with animals in need hasn’t wavered.
But Lovell has gained an added layer of admiration for her employees and volunteers. She sees first-hand how taxing the job can be, which is why Great River Rescue is hosting its Volunteer Appreciation event on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the shelter.
“I feel blessed to be working with the tiny percentage of people who can do this work,” Lovell said. “The people who are so passionate about animals they willingly ride the constantly grueling and exhausting rollercoaster of emotions, who walk into physically difficult and dangerous situations and suffer mental anguish caused by unimaginable cruelty. When the animals are at our shelter, they are safe until they find their forever family.”
As she enters her sophomore season, she’s hoping the chaotic nature of the business comes with more familiarity. Lovell is also thinking ahead. Great River Rescue has a strategic plan that runs through 2027 — the shelter’s 50th anniversary. The goal is to find more consistent streams of revenue and not be so reliant on donations.
“I get to work with amazing people,” Lovell said. “It’s dirty, smelly, dangerous work, but it’s rewarding. Everybody is here because of their heart. They’re very passionate and compassionate for the animals. We treat these animals like I treat my own dogs. My motivation is the animals — to do everything I can to ensure they are safe, healthy and happy.”
Donations to Great River Rescue can be made in person or mailed to P.O. Box 831, Bemidji, MN, 56619. Automatic monthly or weekly donations can be scheduled online at
greatriverrescue.com.
