On a usual episode of NBC's "George to the Rescue", host George Oliphant helped rebuild the Montclair Animal Shelter's outdoor dog run after it was destroyed by a fire three years ago in Montclair, New Jersey. Oliphant, a rescue dog dad to Sugar, a yellow lab, told People magazine: "The word 'rescue' doesn't just have to be about helping somebody's home and family.
All 73 of the homeless cats and dogs were whisked from the flames and smoke by scores of concerned residents and shelter staff; all made it out unharmed.
While insurance money provided the necessary repairs, the Montclair Animal Shelter still needed help with its outdoor space that made use of concrete, barbed wire and a chain fence. Oliphant worked with other volunteers to rebuild the dog run with $150,000 of donated supplies and labor.
"It did look like a prison yard," says Oliphant, "and unfortunately it wasn't safe for the dogs to go out there."
They ripped out the concrete and transformed the space into a bright play area with green synthetic turf for the pups to roll around on, running water for drinks, shiny white fencing, even a red fire hydrant.
The episode also features an adorable doggy fashion show with actor Patrick Wilson, another Montclair resident and rescue dog dad (and one of PEOPLE'S Sexiest Men Alive 2016). "Luckily we live in a town with good people," says Oliphant, "and we could pull this off."
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