A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary
About Our Rescue Team
A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary Inc is happy to join the animal-loving community to help make a difference in the lives of pets both locally and internationally. R&R Sanctuary is currently operating as a small foster-based rescue with the ability to pull from several high-kill shelters, provide licensed foster homes, and adopt to verified individuals. We are a 501(c)3 NONPROFIT.
MISSION
Our mission is to provide sanctuary for forgotten, unloved, and un-cared for animals in the form of foster homes.
It is our goal that the foster home serves as a temporary placement until a proper forever home is found. We aim to provide education about pet care and an understanding that pets are a lifetime commitment. We promote population control by spaying and neutering our pets as well as requiring resident pets to be sterilized prior to adoption. Additionally, we are expanding our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts to help manage and protect community cat populations.
Our current focus is dogs and cats and occasional small creatures.
VISION
Our vision is to have a positive impact on animal welfare and reduce the number of unwanted pets.
R&R Sanctuary plans to operate a facility (in the near future) to offer life-long sanctuary to animals who are less adoptable or cannot be placed. We will continue to use fosters homes to save the lives of animals as we believe a home environment is best. Our goal is to expand our network and become well-known and respectable within the rescue community. We hope to have an impact on decreasing the euthanasia rate in the Chicagoland area in order to help Chicago become a No-Kill city.
It would be a pleasure to someday be able to care for farm animals as well as small pets since we respect all animals lives.
VALUES
We are a rescue. We do not simply house animals but provide a nurturing home.
We are No-Kill. No healthy, treatable, rehabilitate animals will be euthanized. Any pet that has issues outside our capability or experience will be transferred to another rescue with whom we have reached an agreeable understanding for the pets care.
We care about all animals. We rescue locally, nationally and internationally - all lives matter. Also, most members within our board follow a humane, local or vegan diet.
We are very serious about life-long commitments. Once an animal crosses our doors, our commitment is to resume responsibility for the entirety of its life. We fulfill this by requiring the pet to come back to us if re-homing is necessary and providing the adopters with any additional support or advice throughout the lifetime of the pet.
We are strong advocates for pet sterilization.
OUR STORY
Renee first started A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary while attending medical school on a Caribbean island with poor animal welfare. Having been an avid animal lover prior to this experience and on the journey back to Chicago, she rescued numerous dogs, cats, and even goats! Renee officially opened A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary in April 2014.
From there we were able to build our small board - full of people who love animals and share our passion to save as many as we can. We have become partners with several high-kill shelters throughout the states, enabling us to pull pets - and transport teams to help us. We have a growing foster network and have hit over 1,500 intakes in 2024. That is over 1,500 lives saved!
We rely on your donations to keep us running and to continue to rescue more pets.
License number: 14717
We are an insured, nonprofit corporation with our 501(c)3!!
Meet Our Team
Renee Harvey - Owner, Founder, and President of R&R Sanctuary
As a self-proclaimed Biocentric, I firmly believe that we all need to live our lives to better the entire world we live in. This includes seeing all the creatures of this world as equal; we all deserve love and respect, and with opening A Little R&R I believe we will be able to make a greater impact on the lives of many that would face a life on the streets or worse, death.
I have been married since 2006, and my husband is an absolute saint for putting up with my addiction to the rescue world. We personally have 1 dog, 2 cats, 2 pigs, 2 goats, 2 mini horses and lots of chickens. We had an amazing little girl in 2018 that is the ultimate kitten whisperer. Having just welcomed a little boy in 2023 our heart are full! We have a constant revolving door for all my rescues. My little zoo welcomes each animal with open arms!
I am elated to start 2024 as we begin the process of building a physical facility for our sanctuary. This will be a safe haven for all those animals that need a place to call home. You can contact me directly at renee@rr-sanctuary.org.
Karen Diete - Vice President
It all started in 2019 when we adopted our first dog, Sophie. Since then, our family has grown to include our second dog, Zoey, and our two cat brothers, Wheaties and Trix. What began as a love for animals quickly became a passion for rescue. We started by fostering puppies and now care for kittens as well.
I began by contacting veterinary offices and completing virtual home checks, and over time I’ve learned to guide animals through every step — from intake to adoption.
Animal rescue is truly a family affair. You’ll often see us at adoption and fundraising events, helping animals find their forever homes. I hope to meet you one day — at an adoption event, a fundraiser, or, best of all, during a home check.
Remember, “Saving one animal may not change the world, but for that animal it changes their whole world.”
Beth Schlueter - Second Vice President
Hello! My name is Beth Schlueter. I have been volunteering with A Little R&R Animal Sanctuary since December of 2019, helping to process all of the adoption applications.
I am originally from Berwyn, Illinois, went to college in Madison, Wisconsin, and now split time living in St. Petersburg, Florida and Muskego, Wisconsin with my husband, Eric, and our dog Coal. Coal is a rescue super mutt but we think mostly black lab and pit. I love to read all types of books, enjoy daily walks with Coal, and we love to travel in our RV! I love that I get to spend my time volunteering from where ever we may go since it is all remote, and it makes me so happy to see these animals find their forever homes!
Thank you so much to everyone who rescues, adopts, and makes sure our pets are safe and healthy!