Dogged Determination For "Early's Angel"

(CBS)  This story originally aired May 20, 2009.

She's a woman with dogged determination.

Gerry Tartaglione, 65, of Nyack, N.Y., was named an "Early's Angel" Wednesday on The Early Show for her ongoing efforts to rescue dogs. She's saved tens of thousands over the years.

Tartaglione has been using an improvised shelter. But makeshift will no longer apply.

She wept as Early Show news anchor Russ Mitchell gave her a tour of a building she and her husband had bought and had been refurbishing so they could move their rescue operation there. But they'd been unable to finish the makeover due to financial difficulites.

"I'm not used to everybody doing for me," she said, as Mitchell guided her through the new space, which was renovated by Rent-A-Husband.

The building will house Hopeful Tails, which is becoming a non-profit organization to ease the financial burden of caring for the dogs. That burden has been falling entirely on Tartaglione and her husband.

During the tour, she had her first glimpse of a new dog mural, provided by Chicago artist Matthew Lew, which will greet shelter patrons as they enter.

Jim Kiernan, a spokesman for Sears, showed Tartaglione new appliances the store donated for the rescue's kitchen.

And outside, on a big dog run area, was dog food -- four tons of dog food, donated by

Tartaglione said she couldn't put into words what she felt, but she tried, saying, "It's like hitting the lottery."

Her years of dedication to helping animals in her community and throughout the United States find a home made her work stand out.

Tartaglione started taking in animals at her grooming shop, Dapper Dog, but the effort quickly turned into a full-time passion.

"Gerry is a Godsend," one shelter patron said. "She eats drinks and sleeps dog rescues."

Tartaglione has matched up dogs with new owners again and again. Even animal lover and Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn adopted her dog, Zoe, from her.

"She's a guardian of animals," Burstyn said. "The animals know it. The community knows it. We all go to her when we have room in our lives for another pet."

With Burstyn's financial backing, Tartaglione even rescued over 80 dogs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina -- and found them all homes.

Nick Tartaglione, Gerry's husband of 50 years, said, "She just so passionate about what she does, and just moves forward every day. It's just a cycle that never ends. There's always dogs coming in to be adopted and be rescued and that need homes."

Gerry even kept going when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"All through recovering from breast cancer -- with no hair and a bandana -- she groomed dogs and rescued animals," said Tartaglione's friend, Barbara Meyer, "and I think it (helped) save her."

Tartaglione said she slowed down a little after she got cancer, but wasn't changed. "I was more thankful I survived and I would continue doing what I was doing," she said.

Tartaglione told Mitchell the first thing she wanted to do with her new facility is save some dogs from being destroyed at other shelters.

She told Mitchell that she's following her passion: "I've always loved (dogs), and there's so much suffering out there with the animals, and when you get them, when you see where they go, and they visit you and everything, it's worth everything you do."