Between Lancaster and Columbia, South Carolina sits DoRe Ranch and Rescue. Sitting on nearly 10 acres of land in the town of Kershaw, Do Re (think Do Re Me Fa So….) Ranch and Rescue is owned and operated by a charming couple, eager to talk about their passion for animal care.
Thom Dougherty and Tom Regna are not just married to each other, they’re also married to work they love. Dougherty and Regna were both born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania and have been operating Do Re since they moved to the location about four years ago. During this interview we learn more about the business of rescuing animals, what it’s like to share your like with someone you share a first name and their hopes for a brighter future.
L’Monique King: Let’s jump right in. How long have the two of you been together?
Tom Regna: We’ve been together for almost 14 years and married for almost four.
LMK: Congratulations. It just so happens today, [June 26, 2015] is the day the Supreme Court made the landmark decision to legally recognize same sex marriages nationwide. Would you share with our readers what this means to you?
TD: I’ll never forget that day, standing in Thom’s cousin’s house. I had been checking the Supreme Court’s blogs to see what was happening; knowing the case was going to be decided soon. When I learned of the decision I literally started crying because I knew we were actually going to be able to get married and have it recognized, as with any other couple in the United States.
TR: Tom and I had discussed getting married but because it wasn’t going to be validated at any state or federal level; it didn’t make any sense to me. It felt like pageantry. This ruling legitimized being married as a gay couple. So, that night we actually went looking for engagement rings and began to plan our wedding.
I don’t want to take this to a dark place and we weren’t together during the 9/11 attacks but today’s decision forces me to remember how [in the aftermath of 9/11] there were people whose partners perished in those attacks and the families of those people came out of nowhere and kicked the surviving partner out of their homes – leaving them with nothing. I could not go through that. So once same-sex unions were approved it became even more important for us to be married and have the protections that marriage affords heterosexual couples.
LMK: Keeping in line with the topic of “sameness” what’s it like being married to someone with the same name as you?
TR: You wanna take this?
TD: Yeah, sure. We also have the same middle initial “J” and we’re also both Juniors. Hence, we didn’t take each others names when we got married because we [each] would have had the same exact name. Hyphenating wouldn’t have worked either. And to boot, our dads have the same birthdays. Four years apart but the same day; October 27th.
LMK: Are your fathers still living?
TD & TR: <In unison> Yes
TD: We had a joint birthday party once when we living in Pennsylvania. We had recently moved, so that year the party was actually a housewarming, Halloween birthday party <Chuckles>.
LMK: Outside of your ranch and rescue, what’s your livelihood, are you in the same fields?
Thom Dougherty: No financials come from the ranch and it is my full time job. But Tom works.
TR: I am a supply chain director. Basically, I am responsible for all of the back-end system applications, integrations, etc., that covers 25 states. It’s finished goods – like anything from ethernet cables to power cables and more. I’ve been doing if for 16 years and I really enjoy it.
LMK: What inspired your move from Pennsylvania to South Carolina?
TD: When we were in Pennsylvania, we lived on a little over two acres but wanted to go someplace in the Carolinas with more acreage. The home we decided to purchase is on a little over 10 acres, fully fenced in, had a barn already erected and several other outbuildings. We both said, we want this and purchased the property we hadn’t yet seen in person. It was after the closing when we drove down and saw the house the first time at two in the morning.
LMK: What encouraged you both to turn the ranch, your personal dwelling, into an animal rescue?
TD: When we moved down, we had 11 dogs at the time and a flock of Muscovy (10 ducks). Shortly after moving in and having so much space I started looking into adding donkeys to our family of dogs and ducks. We adopted our first two [donkeys], Thelma & Louise from Hope for Hooves, in North Augusta, Georgia. They had already been named so we didn’t change them. Then, one night while I was outside checking on the animals I realized Thelma had given birth to a baby.
I named the baby Happy because I thought, Happy Ass would be hysterical – but not many people seem to get it [the play on words]. <collective laughter> We eventually added turkeys and chickens. We also added three barn cats to safely rid the barn of mice. Well, three barn cats turned into 24. It was kind of an amalgamation of shelters and individuals that we started receiving TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) cats. So, the transition from being personal pet owners to a rescue was encouraging and organic. We were already doing the work, so going through the process of applying for and receiving our 501c3 status just made sense.
LMK: Donkeys, cats, dogs and ducks. That’s quite the brood. How many animals in total currently reside at DoRe?
TD: We currently have 75 barn cats, 25 indoor cats (waiting to move to adoption spaces at two partnering pet stores), 11 dogs, 10 goats, a small flock of birds (including turkeys, chickens and guinea fowl), six rescues of our own, five donkeys and one pig.
LMK: Ok, let’s switch it up and have a little fun. Either of you can answer. Choose your preference. Rock or Jazz?
TD: Jazz. My favorite group is probably Manhattan Transfer.
LMK: Fruit Loops or Corn Flakes?
TR: I’d probably say Fruit Loops. If there’s an option of a healthy cereal or a kid’s cereal I’m most likely going to choose the kid’s cereal <giggles>.
LMK: Of the two of you, who is the best cook?
TR: Meeeee
LMK: What’s your husband’s best dish?
TD: One of my favorites is his Chicken Piccata.
LMK: Any plans for Pride Season?
TR: Not really. I would say, that’s one thing about the rescue. It takes up a lot of time. I work full-time and help my husband at night and on the weekends. But for him, it’s tough to get away. We love what we do, that’s why we do it. But it doesn’t really afford us the ability to go away much.
TD: Thom’s company gave him Juneteenth off. So, he had a five day weekend and we wanted to do something briefly. I have wanderlust – I don’t like to sit idly, so we went to Charleston. We knew it was a two and half-hour drive each way. We got there around noon, shopped, had a really nice dinner and were home by six, to take care of all the animals.
LMK: Is there any kinda of respite or babysitting system that could afford you a little break for a mini vacation or overnight?
TD: We have a friend, Katie who does farm sitting who has been suggesting that we do that; have someone come out to feed the animals in the morning and the evening. Eventually we’ll take her up on her offer.
<BOLD>LMK: When that time comes what do you see yourselves doing with your time? <BOLD>
TD: I’m so used to all of this; I will probably go nuts. I think my husband will be fine and ok, putting his feet in the sand, drinking a beer and getting a sunburn. But for me, a person with ADHD who tends to catastrophize, it’s more difficult. That’s what my brain does – it’s just how it is. My husband understands that and bless him for it.
LMK: Any words of advice for LGBTQ youth?
TR: It does get better. I know that’s almost overused at this point, but don’t sweat the small stuff. I can’t stress that enough. What you’re going through now, what [social media] technology is throwing it in your face – isn’t going to mean anything in no time. It will be obsolete. So try not to become enraged if someone has mistakenly used the wrong pronoun. Get mad if you don’t get that bank loan, if you don’t get the credit you need or you’re expelled from school.
LMK: As we wrap up our conversation, is there anything you’d like to leave our readers with?
TD: Grace, space, time and love. We’re seeing rescue fatigue, it’s a real thing. In the last two years we’ve seen people kill themselves because they just don’t think they’re enough or doing enough. They need help and all it takes is an offering of your time and assistance; with Grace, space, time and love.
For more information on Do Re Ranch and Rescue, visit https://www.doreranchandrescue.org/