A Little Bit About Us

We realized we’ve never really shared our story in the newsletter—so here’s a little about us! We’re Rich and Lisa Small. In addition to being cat (and occasional dog) rescuers and fosters, we’re parents of three remarkable adult children and grandparents to three precious grandchildren.

We love our family, are lifelong musicians, deeply connected to our community, and committed to making a difference through Delco Loves Animals. As followers of Jesus Christ, our faith guides us every day in all aspects of our lives—not just on Sundays. Lisa is a cancer survivor (since 2004), and one day, in her spare time, she hopes to write a book about that extraordinary experience that wound up being a blessing to her and many others. She is a health and wellness advocate who is unafraid to challenge convention and remain true to her convictions, even when met with resistance, which she has over the past 21 years. Rich has spent decades helping people as an auto sales and leasing consultant, bringing experience, care, and guidance to every customer interaction.

Together, as husband and wife and business partners, we are the Rich Small Team, bringing our real estate and property investment experience to our clients with integrity, care, and faith-guided purpose. Lisa has been a licensed agent since 2002, has done property management, and has a background in mortgage underwriting. Rich has been licensed since 2017. Lisa has a background in mortgage underwriting. Together, we have extensive hands-on experience rehabbing properties and many years as landlords, giving us a practical, well-rounded understanding of the real estate process from every angle.

One of our signature projects is The Dayton House, a property we’ve owned since 2005. After a full gut renovation, it’s now being transformed into an Airbnb—a project that reflects our passion for breathing new life into properties and creating spaces that truly matter.

Through our work in real estate, investing, and community service, we love sharing our knowledge and creativity while making a meaningful impact for both our clients and the communities we serve.

Stay Connected with Rich & Lisa

DelcoLovesAnimals@gmail.com

https://linktr.ee/richsmallteam

🎙 Listen to our podcast:

Small Talk with Rich & Lisa

Do you have a story to share? Be our guest and turn your experiences into more than just “Small Talk.” Get in touch!

Happy New Year! 🎉 Our January 2026 Newsletter is Here!🐾💖

 

Happy New Year from us at Delco Loves Animals!🎉 

We’re kicking off 2026 with big hopes, grateful hearts, and exciting updates — including our latest newsletter 

👉 “Paws Up: Let’s Make 2026 the Year We Launch Delco’s Animal Welfare Center!”

which is now live and ready to read. In it, you’ll find inspiring stories from the past year, ways to get involved, and our bold plans to create a much-needed animal welfare center right here in Delaware County. Thank you for being part of this compassionate community — we couldn’t do this work without you. Check out the full newsletter and stay connected as we move into a year of impact and growth for animals and their advocates! 🐾

❤️May God give you the faith that is lacking, the changes you need, and the blessings you desire.

Rich & Lisa❤️

Newsletter Link: https://mailchi.mp/97e96bebceaf/paws-up-delco-they-need-us-17636767

Holding On to Faith in a Season of Loss

If you read Buddy's story you'll know the story behind what we believe was the cause of death of our precious cats. 

Is there anything harder to deal with than death? Death is final—at least here on earth. Once someone we love dies, we will never see them again in this life. That is a sobering reality, and it can be incredibly hard to bear without the comfort of God. If I didn’t have faith, I honestly don’t know how I would get through seasons of deep grief like this.

Saying goodbye to one pet is hard enough. Saying goodbye to four still feels hard to comprehend. And in between losing our cats, my oldest brother, Mark, suddenly passed away as well. Heartache after heartache. From September to December of 2025, the pain came one loss at a time, and it never got any easier. No matter how many loved ones we lose—whether people or pets—it never becomes easier. It isn’t meant to. There are no shortcuts when it comes to grief.

Dusty, Princess, Carson and Brenna always have special places in our hearts. They were all so smart and they each had their own personality, their own likes and dislikes, and their own "pet" peeves (what cat doesn't?). They were such good communicators. We hope all four of our sweet babies lived their best lives with us. We wish we could have helped them more but it all happened so quickly, and sadly hindsight is always 20/20. We miss them terribly. 

With grief often comes regret. I think about my sweet Brenna often. She used to drive me crazy by constantly jumping up on my desk and walking across my laptop. She was my shadow—she just wanted to be with me. Now that she’s gone, I wish she were still here doing exactly that. I regret the moments when I lacked patience. Love is patient, and I wasn’t always showing her that love. Yet before she died, Brenna was teaching me patience. I was learning to pause, to hold her, kiss her, and talk to her instead of getting irritated. I only wish I had learned faster.

I don’t know if we’ll see our beloved pets in heaven but I sure hope we do.

I’ll leave you with this reminder from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. This definition of LOVE is deliberate, urgent and perfect and it has never felt more important to me.:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.