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Joe Brown (left) and Julian Tatka (right), co‑owners of Tribal Waters Custom Pools & Spas, are donating $100 from every pool they sell in February to Foothills Animal Rescue.
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Pool company takes the plunge to rescue animals
by Kathleen Stinson

NORTH VALLEY – A Valley company that installs pools is donating $100 for every pool it sells in February to Foothills Animal Rescue.

Julian Tatka, co‑owner of Tribal Waters Custom Pools & Spas, said they wanted to make these donations because it is a worthwhile cause.

Foothills Animal Rescue is a nonprofit that provides shelter, care and adoption services for as many as 700 stray, lost or abandoned cats and dogs a year in the North Valley.

"Kittens are found in the dumpster. People who move away abandon their animals. It's almost a plague," said Becky Didier, director of Foothills Animal Rescue in Cave Creek .

"We have to rehabilitate some of the animals. We rehabilitated a young pup that had been hit by a go‑cart and had a fractured leg. He was tethered in the backyard of someone who wasn't caring for him," Didier said.

Didier said the group's veterinarian bills run into the thousands of dollars a year.

As Foothills Animal Rescue is unable to provide shelter, the organization relies on volunteers to provide foster care for animals until they can find a permanent home for the pet.

Tribal Waters has been in business since September of 2006. However, Tatka said he has built 71,000 pools in the Valley. He is an award‑winning designer.

For $100, the animal rescue organization can pay for spaying two female or neutering four male cats, Didier said. Foothills Animal Rescue's policy states it will euthanize no animals.

"We feel very few animals are without hope. They all have some redeeming quality, and it is incumbent upon us to find that quality," Didier said.

She recommends that people looking to adopt a homeless animal do not go to pet stores as many pet stores acquire their animals from "puppy mills" that use very inhumane breeding methods.

Tribal Waters is located at 1831 W. Rose Lane, Suite # 4, in Phoenix. The business can be contacted at (623) 587‑8500.

For more information about how to adopt a pet through the Foothills Animal Rescue, call (480) 488‑9890 or visit www.foothillsanimal.org. Photos of animals who need a home are available online.

Reach the reporter at kathleen@thedesertadvocate.com.

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