In each issue, we highlight one of the many rescue groups in Birmingham and Alabama. In the Fall 2019 issue, we featured Southern Skies Labrador Rescue & Adoption.

When and how did Southern Skies start? This rescue group incorporated in 2012, but it started many years prior through the efforts of Lina Stewart. A business executive, Stewart and her husband, Tony, rescued three abandoned lab puppies near the Lake Guntersville dam. The one they kept, Sweet Pea, became a beloved member of their family, helping comfort them through unexpected tragedy. Steward became aware of the plight of Labrador retrievers around the Southeast (especially black labs). She and other volunteers began rescuing labs from two kill shelters, one in Georgia and another in Alabama.

How many labs have you been able to save? With the assistance and guidance of lab rescue groups in the Northern U.S., we have been able to grow and save more than 3,000 labs and lab mixes in Alabama and neighboring states.

Do you have a fundraiser or event you’d like to promote? We are an all-volunteer group, so we haven’t had the time to organize a formal event. However, we encourage our supporters to set up personal fundraisers, which they can easily do on Facebook by clicking here.

How can people learn more about SSLR? Visit our website; find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter; or call us at (256) 486-3560.