- Hi, I'm Karen Kalunian.

Today we're here at the heart of Rhode Island.

(upbeat music) Hi, I'm Karen Kalunian, and today we're here in the back play yard at the heart of Rhode Island with the director Tammy Gallo.

And she's gonna tell us a little bit about the history of Heart of Rhode Island, which is formerly the East Greenwich Animal Protection League and the mission here at the rescue.

So Tammy, first of all we have these two little cuties.

There's always puppies available here.

So tell us a little bit about how you got involved and the history and what your passion is.

- I got involved kind of by accident because of my love for animals, and went to work at Greenwich Bay Animal Hospital.

And I didn't know at the time that the East Greenwich Animal Protection League housed their animals there.

I quickly found out that those were also animals that I was taking care of during there.

Within the first year I was dog adoption chairperson and president of the organization.

And that was.

- How many years ago?

- 23 years ago.

- And you're still going?

- And I'm still going.

And now we are lucky enough to own our own building here.

- In Cranston.

- In Cranston.

- That's why it's a little confusing for people, East Greenwich, Cranston.

But this is your home now?

- This is our home and home to many, many pets that had been homeless and now have a hope in front of them for a life of happiness.

- So a majority of the animals I know come from the South.

I know that you transport them up here because the south is so overridden with animals.

But you also take in home, you know people that can't have them in their home for whatever reason anymore, owner surrenders.

- Yep.

- And also there's cats here so there's a little bit of everything.

- Cats is always a stray cat population so we help as many local cats as possible and the various groups that that help rescue them, and most of our dogs do come from the south.

- And so the hope for The Heart of Rhode Island as you are now known is to place all of these animals in loving forever homes right?

- Yes, and hopefully end the homeless population and we go out of business.

- That would be the goal right.

Well, thank you for taking the time with these adorable pups and we appreciate all the work that you do here at the heart of Rhode Island.

And hopefully someone's gonna come in and adopt one of these.

- To watch more videos like this, visit RIpbs.org/animaltalk.