In Her Home and In Her Heart
Ashley Costello's efforts to help animals extends from the rescue she runs out of her home to working and volunteering in the community.
Animals have been part of Ashley Costello's entire life. From a young age she saw her grandma run a wildlife rescue and was a “crazy dog lady” as Costello described her because she took in every stray dog. She ultimately inherited her grandmother’s love for caring for all types of animals.
Costello puts together a new guinea pig cage in her home rescue in Alvaton, Ky. on Feb. 13, 2022 while her son Cassidy plays in it, crawling on all fours and squealing as he says, "I'm a piggie!" "You're gonna live in there?" Costello said to Cassidy. "Yes," Cassidy said back. Cassidy continued to say that he wanted to live in the cool cage, but after his mom suggested to put him up for adoption if he was an animal, he insisted that he wasn't a pet. "He helps, sort of," Costello said while laughing.
Costello got her first guinea pig around the age of 12. Despite doing everything she could to care for it, it only lived with her for 6 months because of an underlying health condition. The next guinea pig she got could be let out of her cage and be trusted not to leave messes, following Costello around and having her own pillow to sleep on. "She's what made me love guinea pigs," Costello said. "They have the coolest personalities."
After transporting a dog to a shelter in Tennessee on Feb. 13, 2022, a friend at the shelter asked if Costello could take in two guinea pigs that were brought in recently. A man found them in a box on the side of the road with their mat frozen from their pee and the guinea pigs shaking from the cold. She set up a bigger cage for them with to live in as she fosters them.
Listen to Costello comfort the guinea pigs she's taking care of
"I am slightly allergic to guinea pigs, but they are my favorite," Costello said.
Costello started rescuing animals at 16 and planned to go to veterinary school, but after volunteering at an animal rescue she decided to switch career paths. “I wanted to do it on my own because I had my own ideas on how certain things should be done," Costello said. Since then, she has spent the last 20 years rescuing animals in a variety of ways, one of which being through her non-profit rescue, New Beginnings Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, which she operates through her home.
Listen to Costello talk about when she started rescuing
Costello's rescue focuses on caring for animals with special needs or require specialized care that would otherwise be euthanized for their conditions, even if the condition isn't very complicated. She is also known to take in guinea pigs and rats even if there isn't any complicated health condition and fosters out dogs to volunteers.
Elise Charny holds Leroy and chats with Costello while at the PetSmart adoption event in Bowling Green, Ky. on Mar. 6, 2022. Charney went to PetSmart with her daughter Elenore, 1, and took a moment to walk through the event. "We saw that they had these cuties here so we came to say hi," Charney said. Costello is part of different adoption events through the year for the animals that aren't adopted through AdoptAPet.com.
She only keeps a few animals in her home at a time, with three guinea pigs, two cats, and two rats in her care in April 2022. But even with a few animals, she is kept busy. Everyday tasks include cleaning the cages daily and feeding them a few times a day in addition to any special care for animals with health issues like giving them medicine or treating wounds as they heal. Her mother helps since she lives in the basement of their home, feeding and checking in on the animals while Costello and her husband, Chris, are at work.
Costello's son, Cassidy, plays with Leroy while his mom cleans guinea pig cages in their home in Alvaton, Ky. on Feb. 13, 2022. Cassidy became close with many of the animals that are fostered in his house. He cuddles with the two cats at the rescue, Leroy and Channing. "They're best buds," Costello said.
Rescuing animals isn't free, so Costello fundraises through her page on Facebook to pay for surgery, medication, and other things needed to care for the animals. Any time a fundraiser goes beyond what is required, the money goes to the next animal in need. Petco also donated items for the guinea pigs such as toys and plastic igloos.
"It's an expensive hobby," Costello said. "My rescue supports itself."
Ashley Costello holds a garage sale at her home in Alvaton, Ky. on Mar. 26, 2022 with the help of her mother. The chilly weather caused few people to come out, so she held another garage sale the following weekend and sold things through Facebook. All the money she earned from selling clothes, animal supplies, and other items went directly to her rescue.
In addition to the fundraising, Costello works at Petco, the Fix Foundation, and the technology repair store her husband owns to help pay for the various costs of her rescue. But even at her other jobs, she continues to promote her rescue on social media, coordinate transports, or connect with other rescues and shelters.
Listen to Costello talk about how much work goes into promoting her rescue
Costello brings (from left to right) Leroy, Channing, and Tootsie to the Nashville Road Animal Hospital in Russellville, Ky. on Apr. 15, 2022. Leroy and Channing are cats from her rescue and Tootsie is cared for at the Fix Foundation. She helps transport many animals across Kentucky and into Tennessee if they need to go to a shelter or vet. She bought a bigger car this year to make space for more animals and has already put a couple thousand miles onto the new car because of the transports.
With all the work that she does for the rescue and in caring for her family, she needs time to breathe and takes some weekends to relax. She also appreciates being able to vent to a tight knit group of friends that run rescues and her husband, Chris, about the struggles of rescuing.
"Rescue is tough," Costello said. "Thank goodness for Chris."
Costello carries Tootsie into the Nashville Road Animal Hospital in Russellville, Ky. on Apr. 15, 2022. Tootsie was being checked for an ear infection. The other two cats she brought, Leroy and Channing, had issues with their eyes.
Listen to Costello talk about the strain rescuing can cause
Within the next 10 years, Costello hopes to start the process of building a facility on the five acres of her family farm that she deeded to her rescue. It will have space for dogs and cats, as well as areas to separate sick animals from healthy animals. Her house will be built next to it so her home life and work life will be separate but she's still close to the animals she cares for. She just needs to time to fundraise and prepare so she doesn't overwhelm herself on top of the other work she does already.
Costello holds Leroy, her foster kitten, to show him off at an adoption event at PetSmart in Bowling Green, Ky. on Mar. 6, 2022 so people might be interested in adopting him. In addition to having a scratched eye that might be removed, Leroy has Megaesophagus, limiting the movement of food and liquids down to his stomach. He needs to stand on a small cardboard box and eat from an elevated bowl or he will throw up the food. Only one person at the event was interested in adopting him. "He is the most affectionate, cool dude ever," Costello said. "I think people are scared of his condition."
Listen to Costello talk about why she loves caring for animals
Costello talks to some of the cats as she grabs the cart with the food and cleaning supplies to clean the cats' cages at the Fix Foundation in Franklin, Ky. on Apr. 10, 2022. She spends around 4 hours at the clinic each time she works. On Sundays she gives the cats medicine and cleans their cages, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays she does paperwork and occasionally assists with surgeries.
Despite challenges she may face, Costello works hard to help the animals that other people discarded. She is also particular about who adopts the animals to ensure they become part of a good home and keeps in contact with the adopters to get updates on the animals she's cared for. Her time and energy is spent doing anything she can to give animals a better life, no matter their condition.
"That's my favorite part," Costello said. "The outcome after we go through all the trauma and then we get them good."
To comfort the cats at the Fix Foundation and keep them from escaping while cleaning the cages on Apr. 10, 2022, Costello scratches their heads and talks to them. She cleans the cages thoroughly each time she works, changing the pillow cases over their beds, sifting through the litter box, and sweeping up messes. "You made a mess," Costello said to one cat. "If I lived in a box I'd be messy too."