Sunday was the last day Demi's Animal Rescue and its attached thrift store were open. Demi Merritt launched the non-profit 10 years ago in her parents' basement when she was just a teenager.
Now, two years after finally opening a brick-and-mortar location, they're being forced to close.
"This is the dream we've been working for so hard," Merritt said. "And the fact that it was completely successful, I think is what's most heartbreaking, is that we didn't fail in any sort of way."
The rescue says the building they've been operating out of was recently bought by a new owner who needs the entire space.
"We just put so much into this place, and to just have it cut short is really heartbreaking," said Merritt.
A few weeks back, Denver7 shared her story with viewers who stepped up in a major way through our Denver7 Gives fundraising effort.
Denver7 Gives viewers raised $4,080 for the rescue.
"With renting any new place you need to put down a deposit, there's going to be renovation costs, there will be changes that come with the new building," Merritt said of the donations. "This will definitely make that a lot less stressful."
So far, there's no new home for the rescue just yet, although Merritt says she is looking at a few options in the upcoming weeks.
"We're still taking in animals and adopting them out every week. That will remain completely normal going forward," said Merritt of the efforts made by volunteers and foster pet families.
Demi's Animal Rescue is still taking donations on their website: demisanimalrescue.com
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