Rob Sweitzer: His pet projects: rescuing dogs, cats

And he had a soft spot for kitties, too.

In the last few years, Rob and his wife, Rachel, opened their home to hundreds of foster cats and dogs, saving them from potential death sentences in shelters while awaiting permanent homes.

"All he wanted to do was make sure as many animals could be saved as possible," his wife of 3 1/2 years said.

Even the day before he died, Rob was volunteering with his wife at a local cat shelter. Hours later, on Feb. 10 — Rob's 39th birthday — he died in a hospital emergency room from an unidentified illness.

Rachel plans to blend her husband's cremains with those of his beloved chocolate Labrador retriever, Quanta, who died 15 months ago.

Rachel already was providing cats with a foster home when she met Rob.

"He saw what I was doing and he wanted to foster dogs," she said. "Rob was always ready and willing to help. He was with me every step of the way."

The Sweitzers had three dogs and six cats of their own, plus three foster cats that had become permanent residents because medical conditions had rendered them virtually unadoptable. Year-round, additional foster dogs and cats rotated through the Sweitzer home. During kitten season, the number of felines could exceed 30.

"We were a team. We did everything together. If an animal had a chance, we'd take it. There are hundreds of animals alive because of him," Rachel said of her husband.

Rob and Rachel didn't bind themselves to any one animal-rescue organization. They picked up slack wherever they saw the need.

After reading online about Friends of Alley Cats of Tucson, they called Margo Elson, who runs the organization.

"The first thing they did was come over with gifts for the cats — a crate, food, towels. We struck up a friendship," she said.

"They were so united in their purpose. When you work hard and spend your free time taking care of other people's castoffs, it's rough, but that was Rob. That was his life. That was what he shared with his community," Elson said. "This was a man who worked hard and put all his extra money in trying to get these animals re-homed and not be euthanized. He was a real crusader for animals. He was one of these people who was pure love."

When Beth Montes got involved in the local animal welfare scene a few years ago with the intent of starting her own rescue organization, Casa de los Gatos, the Sweitzers' names kept coming up.

"They were very, very supportive of each other, so Rachel's loss is not only of her husband, but her best friend and her primary support," Montes said. "He was always right there helping with whatever needed to be done, from cleaning nasty messes to helping with medical procedures.

"He didn't mind doing the really grubby work, and he didn't mind doing the medical work. He was just always so cheerful, always had a smile, always kidding around, never seemed to let stuff get him down, and that was marvelous considering some of the things we have to deal with in animal rescue," Montes said.

Rob was a scientist, developing equipment for a medical technology company. He took the job, said his wife, because it did not involve using animals as laboratory test subjects.

"With him working a good job, she had the luxury of taking two part-time jobs working where her heart is, with animals," Montes said.

Rachel worked as a veterinary technician at a local clinic and at Casa de los Gatos. With her vet-tech skills, Rachel often took in animals with special needs.

Even after Rachel took the part-time job with Casa de los Gatos, she and Rob continued to care for foster animals from other agencies, including the Foundation for Animals In Risk.

"Robert was a very important part of the foster-care program. I called him my miracle foster," said Diane Sayre, former FAIR foster-home director. "I never had any worries when I put a dog in his home because I knew they'd be well taken care of. Robert had a real knack for bringing animals around; animals that were really shy, animals that couldn't relate well to people for whatever reason.

"Robert was always dependable. There was no time that Robert ever told me no," Sayre said, even when she asked him to pick up foster cats at 2 a.m.

Though Rob worked full time, cared for foster critters and volunteered, he still made time for his two greatest loves: his wife and his golden retriever, Taran.

"He loved Rachel," Elson said. "The way he looked at her (was) with that fascination of a man who's in love with a woman."

Life Stories

This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting — and sometimes extraordinary — lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories. Past "Life Stories" are online at go.azstarnet.com/lifestories.

To Help

Friends have set up the Rachel Sweitzer Support Fund, at account number 4570 0726 6335, at Bank of America so she can continue to care for the often ailing cats and dogs she and her husband, Rob, fostered.