Business Owner. Wife. Mother. Volunteer. There are many words to describe Julie Romano, but the best would be Animal Lover.
Julie Romano was born and raised in Highland, Indiana where she met and married her husband. Together they own Romano's Pizza, a staple in the area, which is currently managed by their son. While Romano and her husband still help out at Romano's Pizza, her real passion is animals.
All of her life, Romano has loved animals -especially horses- and she turned that love into a lifelong commitment to helping them. In the past four years alone, she has helped rescue over 50 horses.
"I rescue horses, and anything else that comes my way – pigs, goats, dogs, even donkeys," Romano said.
She first started rescuing horses with her sister when they were younger. She and her sister have always been horse people and animal lovers, so when they found a horse that needed their help, they picked it up.
"Luckily, my sister had the facilities at the time, so we picked up our first horse," she explained.
From that moment on, she was hooked. Romano loved being able to help animals that were unable to help themselves and find them homes where they would be well taken care of.
"I tend to get a lot of horses that are misfits," Romano said.
She takes in the ones that people are afraid of, that haven't been broken, that people purchased then decided they didn't want, horses that would wind up in auction, and others of the sort. During their stay with Romano, the horses are immediately made to feel at home. Romano herself will spend 12-13 hours a day out in the barn, just sitting with the new horses. Instead of forcing herself upon them, she lets the horses come to her in their own time, so that they can see she's a friend, not a foe.
Romano currently owns three rescued dogs, several horses, and a donkey named Molly who's expecting a baby in the near future.
"It's so hard not to get attached when rescuing animals," Romano said. "That was probably one of the hardest lessons for me to learn, but every once in a while I come across an animal and I think to myself, 'This animal belongs here.'"
She intends to keep Molly and her foal, not wanting to see either of them end up in a bad situation.
"She is the best watch dog that I've ever owned. We have two German Shepherds here, but Molly will let us know if someone's on the property before they do," she said.
It sounds like a great new addition to the Romano family.
Julie Romano has assisted in many rescues over the years, but admitted that she wouldn't have been able to do any of it without the support of a few people – Leo's Feed and Garden in Cedar Lake who donated a lot of feed to Romano, Purina Feed, and her friend and veterinarian Dr. Dan McKay.
She is very thankful for all of the help and support she has received from everyone over the years, especially from Dr. Dan.
"Dr. Dan, he's gold," Romano exclaimed as she spoke of her long-time friend.
"Even if this helps save just one more... I will be grateful," she said in closing.
Here's to saving fifty more. Best of luck in the future to Julie Romano.