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Queen Creek animal shelter's land up for sale, future for dogs unknown

Posted at 10:07 PM, Sep 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-06 12:43:19-04

In Queen Creek, there are a few dusty acres of land that roughly two dozen dogs call paradise. 

It's not that 2nd Chance Dog Rescue has amazing amenities or fancy doggie digs. But there is plenty of love for these pups that probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the compassion of the rescue's owner.

Diana Czarnecki and her husband moved to the Valley and started building 2nd Chance Dog Rescue a decade ago. Over the years, they've added dog houses complete with kiddie pools, tiny beds made for human toddlers, and pictures of each pooch. 

The dogs happily wag their tails as Diana walks down the line of spacious kennels, calling each one by name and recalling the sad circumstance that landed them at the shelter. 

There's Harley, a mutt that loves playing soccer with people. But he was constantly confined to a crate in his previous life and doesn't socialize well with other dogs.  

A couple kennels down from Harley is Elsa, a sweet dog found dying in the desert. She's now blind and has padding all around her kennel to protect her from running into the fence.  

"I love dogs, anything and everything about them," said Diana. 

She loves them so much she saves the dogs that other people thought couldn't or wouldn't live. Many of pups here end up being long term tenants for that reason. 

"A lot of these dogs are considered un-adoptable. So what would happen if I were to lose this place I don't know, I don't know," said Diana, reflecting on her current dilemma. 

The unknown for these pups is a very real possibility. Diana rents the land and the landlord is ready to sell. Diana has first dibs on the purchase but she's well short on the cash. So far she's raised $17,000. She needs $200,000 by the end of the year.

She says there's no price she won't pay. 

"Selling candles, selling anything we can sell - doing anything we can. We have a big support system, but unfortunately, it's a lot of money, and I know it's a lot of money," said Diana.

But she's determined to make sure these second chance dogs have one more shot at a happy life. 

"This is their home," she said.

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