6/14 - Midnight Run Fundraiser Noon to 5 pm; Come see us; More info -->

Our Story

Jenn grew up in an animal loving family that showed rabbits and Guinea Pigs in 4H. They also had cats, a dog, a chinchilla, and she grew up around farm animals.
Brian's family did more activities and did not have pets when he was young, but later had family cats.

As adults, Jenn & Brian embraced the opportunity to have animals together starting with their two dogs, Bailey and Kaiya. Jenn's cat Rrsday, eventually moved in too.

February/March: When they, with their daughters Autumn and Leighton, moved to a new home a guinea pig, Lilly, was added to the family.
July: A second a guinea pig, Sandy, was added to the family.
October: The now infamous reptile birthday party for their niece and nephew was the launching point as this party sparked a new love of snakes, lizards, and other cool animals for the girls.
December: Of course, the girls needed their own reptile party for their birthday.
Shout out to Reptile Smiles for both parties that inspired our family.

The love of animals and journey of caring for critters continued. In January, Hopps the Chinchilla was adopted & Tonks the Leopard Gecko joined the crew after being left behind in a classroom.
In March, Gimli the Netherland Dwarf rabbit was adopted followed by guinea pigs Amada & Oshie, Peanut & Smore, Milo, and Towes, all adopted between February-June.
At the beginning of the school year, Jenn added Marshmallow the Leopard Gecko, the official Library Lizard at her school, and he stayed with them over the holidays.
In October, Jenn got her long time wish when Brian stumbled across a Bearded Dragon in need of adoption and brought home Scar.

Their love of critters continued to grow and they began to thoroughly research and learn about the many different species. In March 2020, the family add their first snake, Flash the Corn snake, and a Crested Gecko named Rocket. In November 2020, the first Ball Pythons, Monty and Honey, and the Boa Constrictors, Oreo and Slate moved in. Throughout 2021 they continued to learn and added a few more snakes. They shared their loved and the knowledge they'd gained with anyone who visited and wanted to hear about the critters.

In April, Jenn's Mom and Brian convinced Jenn to use her teaching skills and their family's love of critters to teach people about these amazing animals and share their passion with others. Jenn reached out to Reptile Smiles and got some tips and pointers to get started.
In May, Jenn's Uncommon Critters was born and the first birthday party was booked with a family friend.

*Note: Jenn's Uncommon Critters formed under another name that was updated in 2023 due to a trademark issue.

Throughout the year, Jenn & Brian began to work towards forming an LLC, building a reputation, and sharing their passion. They faced many trials and learned a lot about running a business. As they continued to connect with people, they began to receive requests to taken in animals in need. It quickly became obvious that there was need for reptile rescue and none existed in their area. After more research and long discussions, Jenn and Brian shifted their business plan to form a corporation, write articles of incorporation, assemble a board of directors, and apply for a 501(c)(3) status.

In January, all forms and paper work were completed and submitted and the rescue was officially recognized as a corporation on 01/31/2023.
In February, the rescue took in its first animals, five chinchillas.
In April, confirmation of the rescue's 501(c)(3) status was received! Shortly after, our first Bearded Dragons, Ball Pythons, Crested Gecko, Anole, and Guinea Pigs were taken in.
In May, Jenn's Uncommon Critters officially adopted it's current name.
Through out the year, Jenn's Uncommon Critters participated in community events, attended expos, and continued to build their reputation.
The year ended with 55 intakes and 18 adoptions.

In 2024, we continued our adventure and grew faster then anticipated. We brought on many volunteers, several fosters, and even more rescue animals. We continued to grow our presence and participation in community events, library programs, after-school events, more.
The year ended with 74 intakes. Of our rescues animals, 55 were adopted, 1 became a sanctuary animal, and 5 became animals ambassadors.

*We updated some of our information after the recap picture was posted.*

We celebrated our 100th adoption on June 19th!
The summer was jam packed with programs and events.
The year ended with 70 intakes. Of our rescues animals, 60 were adopted, 10 crossed the Rainbow Bridge, 9 became sanctuary animals, 6 became animals ambassadors, and 1 was transferred to another rescue.