It was on her third visit to Nicaragua that Julie Burke first saw the dog. Mangy, ragged, and emaciated like the others on the dirt roadside, this one seemed to know her—his unwavering eyes bored into hers. When the same dog turned up on the patio of her Nicaraguan second home, she knew it was fate. The newly named Flaco stirred something deep in Burke. “He is what brought me to NicaLove,” she says, speaking of the animal rescue nonprofit that is her life’s passion.
Burke is more than your average animal lover; she is a kindred spirit to all members of the animal kingdom. As a child growing up on the Seacoast, she longed to be part of this realm—to be equal with the animals. When the young Burke wasn’t befriending pigeons or woodchucks, she anguished over the falling rain that mercilessly washed the earthworms onto the concrete. The softhearted girl would rescue them, one at a time, from the rainstorm, always striving to save just one more.
Now, this same drive to save one more propels her mission to rescue, sterilize, and rehabilitate abused and neglected animals in Nicaragua. The longtime Rye resident fell in love with this beautiful but impoverished Central American country in 2012 on a trip there with her husband, Matt. The country, its people, and its plethora of suffering animals resonated with her. “It woke something up in my soul,” she says.
Burke began her philanthropic work with the people, volunteering at an orphanage, where she later adopted a daughter. But the pull to save the animals was strong. In 2017, she began working with animal outreach and rescue, volunteering for Elisa Quiroz and her local animal welfare organization Fundación ADAN. Quiroz would soon become Burke’s invaluable partner.
The partnership between Burke and Quiroz blossomed into a mobile clinic that included the veterinary team Aprovet of Granada. Loaded with supplies, the small band of animal saviors sprang up in buildings or pitched tents, tending to needy animals in the area, many of them heartbreakingly starved and maimed. Their mobile mission continues today, with the prime goal of spaying and neutering as many animals as possible and offering essential health care. The team primarily serves pets and working animals—dogs, cats, and horses—but also rescues the occasional monkey or parrot, sending them to a wildlife shelter for care.
In 2019, Burke teamed with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor to form NicaLove, giving name to her crusade. But this ardent animal advocate was just getting started. She resolved to open a shelter in Playa San Diego, a small fishing and agricultural village 40 miles from the capital city of Managua. In 2020, she and her husband purchased 17 acres of land for the project.
NicaLove became an independent nonprofit in 2021, and Burke forged ahead. The long-anticipated shelter opened its doors in February of 2023, becoming the organization’s headquarters in Playa San Diego. Today, the shelter is a safe haven for 300 rescued animals that were once homeless or abandoned. Burke stresses that her ever-stronger alliance with Fundación ADAN is what empowers this loving mission to flourish. While she spends two to six months a year in Nicaragua, Quiroz’ full-time presence and management of the shelter is vital. It is also Quiroz’ commission to rehome rehabilitated animals.
Beyond benefiting the animals, NicaLove’s work significantly impacts and uplifts the local community. The shelter employs nine community members, supports a local construction company and land management personnel, and sponsors a veterinary student. The organization also educates families in essential animal care and health at every mobile clinic.
None of what Burke has accomplished in Nicaragua would be possible without the generosity of the people here on the Seacoast. Her tireless work has inspired the community to invest in helping these suffering animals and people. Several Rye families, including Burke’s own parents, have traveled to Nicaragua to volunteer. The financial and emotional investment in this worthy cause is bringing the Seacoast community together in a shared goal.
NicaLove’s fundraising needs have grown with the nonprofit’s success. What began with roadside lemonade stands has burgeoned into a full-blown community effort. Donations are crucial, and Burke has high expectations for New Hampshire Give Day, a June 11-12 online fundraiser for state-based charities including NicaLove. Beyond financial support, she welcomes new volunteers and board members willing to “roll up their sleeves and get to work.”
Burke’s childhood dream to someday help animals “in a big way” has come true, exceeding her wildest little-girl expectations. While saving just one is still gratifying, she is overjoyed that her charity has now saved thousands of animals. “My heart is animals,” she says, her eyes shining. “Around them, I have always been happiest and felt most comfortable. They are part of my being.”
“My heart is animals. Around them, I have always been happiest and felt most comfortable. They are part of my being.”