For months, something as simple as water wasn’t simple at all for McCann Rescue Farm in Dayton.
Every day meant hauling 50-gallon drums from a nearby spigot just to make sure the animals had what they needed. It was time-consuming, exhausting, and far from ideal, but it was the only option.
That changed when Festus Plumbing stepped in.
The Dayton-based company recently installed about 600 feet of water line at the rescue facility, located at 528 County Road 6478 in the Woodland Hills Subdivision—donating both materials and labor to help the McCanns finally bring water directly to their animal pens.
Moore Supply in Humble also played a key role in the project, donating the PEX piping used for the installation. PEX pipe is designed to be durable and well-suited for the weather conditions in Southeast Texas, making it a reliable choice for the outdoor setup at the rescue. Big Tex Rentals of Dayton also provided use of the trench digger at no cost.
With those pieces in place, Festus Plumbing got to work.
“We’re going to get them taken care of,” said Larry Street, field operations manager for Festus Plumbing. “They will have water to every building and almost every cage.”
McCann Rescue Farm is owned by Tyler and Marie McCann, who moved to Dayton in 2020 and began building their rescue from the ground up. Over time, they added fencing and everything else needed to house animals safely—but running water to each area remained out of reach.
The rescue is home to a rotating group of animals, including poultry, birds, a pair of emus, and smaller animals like rabbits and pigs. Recently, they also cared for goats that have since been adopted out.
For Marie, the goal is always the same—finding the right home.
“They have to be rehomed in a place where they will be taken care of,” she said.
That process doesn’t stop at handing over the animal. Marie and Tyler visit potential adopters to make sure they understand what’s required and have the proper setup, and if it doesn’t work out, the animals are always welcome back.
The rescue operates as a no-kill facility, and over the years, Marie has learned how to care for and treat a wide range of animals, often stepping in when others cannot.
When the water situation became too much to manage long-term, Marie reached out to Festus Plumbing for help.
“They really just want to help animals, and Festus Plumbing wants to give back to the community,” Street said. “We hopped right on it.”
For company owner Haley Kelley, the project was another example of neighbors helping neighbors.
“This was a great opportunity for us to come together and help them out with what they needed,” Kelley said. “We help a lot of people in the community, including a number of elderly people who are on fixed incomes.”
She recalled recently helping a woman in Ames who had gone nearly three years without running water in her home.
“She was taking buckets of water and filling up her toilets just to function,” Kelley said. “We provided her with a whole repiping of her home.”
Serving Liberty, Chambers, and parts of Harris County, Kelley said the company’s ability to give back is made possible by the support of the community.
“We have a good following and an amazing customer base that allows us to do what we do,” she said. “We’re all neighbors, so it’s good to help people when you can.”
For the McCanns, the new water lines mean more than convenience. It means less time spent hauling water and more time focused on caring for the animals that depend on them.