This Deerfield Beach rescue helps heal and rehome injured exotic animals

On a recent afternoon in Deerfield Beach, the day is only beginning for Rollie Pollie and Friends Rescue. Administrator Crystal Ruth switches on dozens of heat lamps that radiate a yellow hue to warm at least 80 disabled, abandoned or formerly abused animals that call the rescue home.

“We can house up to 100 animals at a time, but I tend to not turn down any in need,” she said.

For eight years, Ruth has cared for and rehabilitated non-native exotic animals like bearded dragons, guinea pigs, sugar gliders and leopard geckos in hopes of one day finding them a forever home.

Many of those animals are surrendered when their owners can no longer properly care for them, an issue that Alessandro Catenazzi, associate professor of biological science at Florida International University, stressed.

“They’re living things, and they have specific requirements. It takes the right food, lighting, temperature, and all of these things cost money, and people have to be willing to put in the effort,” Catenazzi said.

While no official numbers exist as to how many animals are illegally intentionally released, it is a clear issue in Florida.

“We know it’s common because we have a lot of invasive species. It’s a combination of many things — people getting tired of them, no longer willing to care for them … and we end up with the situation where we’re at,” Catenazzi said.

For Ruth, it all began when a pet owner went to her home to turn over a pet rat. When the owner arrived, Ruth noticed multiple boxes in the trunk. The owner then revealed three bearded dragons with various injuries and begged her to take them.

The worst of them had no legs, arms or tail after they were put in the same tank together, which resulted in the animals biting and eating each other. Ruth took them all and drove them to a vet for care. Two eventually found homes. The third was deemed too injured to be rehomed.

“She couldn’t do much, so I medicated her and used a syringe to feed her, which is when I noticed that she would wiggle and shimmy to try and get around,” recalled Ruth.

She was then named Rollie Pollie, the inspiration for the rescue’s name.

Rollie Pollie would live another five years before dying from old age. While she may be gone, her memory lives on with the rescue.

“Every animal I get reminds me of her, especially the bearded dragons with missing feet,” Ruth said. “I started with the hardest case … an animal that was all nubs, all the way around.”

Over time, people noticed how Ruth had a skill for taking care of disabled exotic animals. They asked her to care for their own pets that they could no longer keep up with.

At first, she tried to find rescues to take the exotic animals, but many did not accept non-native pets.

“Once I realized there weren’t any facilities or rescues that would take in exotic animals, and people were saying, ‘You’re so good with them,’ I was like, why don’t I start a rescue?” she said.

Between paying for medicine, vet care and home renovations to house more animals, she operates the rescue with limited funding, including a gift from her mother to start the rescue.

“It was really hard in the beginning. It still is very hard. When you run a rescue, you obviously don’t make a profit,” she said.

To pay for the various expenses of running a rescue, Ruth began attending reptile expos. She would bring a few ambassador animals ready for adoption in hopes of getting the word out about her rescue and bringing in some donations to help cover medical bills, which routinely top thousands of dollars.

After years of saving, Ruth eventually had enough money to rent a space where she could expand her rescue. It didn’t last long — the COVID-19 pandemic shut down operations.

“The person I was renting from met me at the facility and said, ‘I can’t have you rent anymore because your animals might have COVID.’ None of my animals had COVID, so that was just an excuse,” she said.

Ruth said the property owner let her break the lease, which she believed was due to the owner finding a tenant who would pay more rent for her spot.

Ruth said that didn’t stop her. She later turned Rollie Pollie and Friends Rescue into a nonprofit, which allows Ruth to apply for grants for specific animals. Ruth can also provide service hours for students or other volunteers to help at the rescue.

The latest rescue involved a baby raccoon that was struck by a car and left for dead. The raccoon was too injured to walk, Ruth said.

“I had to go into some bushes and reach into an iguana hole that the raccoon had used to hide in, then dig down in there and pull the baby raccoon out while the mom was trying to fight me. Definitely an interesting kind of thing to do,” Ruth said.

She took the raccoon to a vet for X-rays, and it was then transferred to the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital to recover from head trauma.

As for her nonprofit, Ruth said she still dreams big, hoping within the next year to have another facility running where anyone can go and surrender or adopt an animal.

“We want a bigger and better life for the animals. We want to find them homes and make sure that their new owners know everything they need to know before they adopt, to make sure it’s a good fit for them,” Ruth said.

Rollie Pollie and Friends Rescue will next hold a pet adoption event at Pet Supermarket, 419 North Federal Highway in Pompano Beach, on Sunday, April 12.

This story is the result of a partnership between Florida International University’s Lee Caplin School of Journalism and Media and the Miami Herald.