13-year-old harnesses the power of social media to rescue and find new homes for neglected pets

Not every hero wears capes, some care for animals and rescues them too, just like 13-year-old Lilly-Grace Honeysett-Beale from Shropshire, England. She has rescued more than 45 animals in the past two years as of 2022 by scanning social media for neglected pets that deserve a forever home and family to take care of them. Lilly-Grace told BBC that she remains grateful for all the help she has received from her friends, family and the community she resides in.

"When I see one that needs help, I'm going to go get it," she stated. The teen has been housing mice, rabbits, cats and dogs at her home compound and has been scouring Facebook Marketplace to track down unwanted and neglected pets. She then reaches out to people who can help her rescue those animals. She recently came across an advert for a German Shepherd in Birmingham for £100 and it really got her emotional.

She further explained that the dog was found tied up in chains and even has maggots infesting his open wounds and injured limbs. The dog was supposed to get euthanized because it was way too weak and frail from all the neglect and lack of nourishment. "I just wouldn't want to leave a dog like that - it's just not fair on them," she said. "I felt sick to my stomach. I was very heartbroken. We put in a lot of effort to go get Jack." She couldn't keep all the animals she had successfully rescued and had to give some of them up. "The animals are scattered around the house, wherever we find a space for them," Lilly-Grace added.

Her mother Becky has been proud of her daughter's generous commitment and is supportive of her goals. "I can't complain at all because she's amazing, self-sufficient. She's always the one out there. She's feeding them twice a day or cleaning them out. She does everything that's needed," she told the outlet. The Honeysett-Beale family also houses chickens, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, a tortoise and fish. Lilly-Grace has set up her own business at a young age too and she makes money by selling her home-grown animal treats which goes to pay for the needs of the rescued animals. The kind-hearted Lilly-Grace aspires to open her own rescue center in the future.

In 2023, another cat charity organization has taken an interesting initiative for the well-being of the felines it shelters. The Shropshire Cat Rescue has opened its doors and invited visitors to read books to some of its aging cats. The people working at the shelter wanted to provide the elderly cats with some quality human interactions and also encourage a love for reading amongst visitors, per the reports of BBC. Susie Philips, a volunteer and trustee working with the organization said that the cats respond well to being read to them and it also calms down some nervous readers by providing them a "calm and peaceful" audience with the cats.

This isn't the first time Lilly-Grace has made it to the headlines of media outlets. Back in 2014, all the members of the Honeysett-Beale family shaved their heads to support a then five-year-old Lilly-Grace who was diagnosed with leukemia and was rapidly losing her hair after undergoing chemotherapy. According to Salisbury Journal, Lilly-Grace has been bravely facing numerous hurdles in her life after undergoing chemotherapy and has devoted herself to caring for rescued animals in her area.