I'm Home!

After being away for about a week, it's hard to get back into the routine. I was in Florida taking care of my adorable grandaughters for a few days, and then my daughter and I had to go to Atlanta to the market for a couple of days. After keeping on our toes with the two little ones, buying for our new boutique for countless hours at the Atlanta Mart, not to mention all the traveling, we both came home exhausted.

Before I left, we all worked out a transport for 20 plus puppies to go to New York. That was such a blessing for these puppies, and for all of us. I was heartsick to receive a call telling me that due to more bad weather the transport was cancelled.   My friend, Kelly, stepped up to the plate and sat with eight puppies and a couple of other doggies at the mall on Saturday.  I was overjoyed to hear that all the pups and the adult dogs had been placed in foster homes, or had been adopted,  We needed that!  "Good work, Kelly!" I said, when she called to tell me about the adoption.  It was a blessing to know that all those dogs were safe.

I was also happy to hear that Niki , our poor emaciated  Husky went to a good foster home.  I was thrilled with the news that he was out of the hospital.  I was also informed that our parvo puppy that I've been calling Hope also went home with a good friend and fabulous animal lover.  On the down side, Kelly reluctantly broke the news to me that  Hope's other siblings all came down with parvo and had to be euthanized.  That news broke my heart.  Parvo is a terrible disease.  Many times the poor little pups at the shelters come in to those places weak and malnourished. Their immune systems are compromised, and they break with this horrible disease.  We have seen this over and over, and it never gets any easier to see those precious babies die so young.  We have saved many of them, but we have lost many as well.

Just after I got home, Kelly called me and told me that a man a called Friends For Life needing homes for three puppies.  He said that he was driving down a busy road, and he thought he saw something moving on the side of the road.  He turned around and went back to find three tiny puppies .  Their poor mama was lying dead next to them.  He said he thought that she had starved to death.  He looked all around the grassy area for more puppies, but he didn't see any more, so he took the pitiful threesome home.   "I want to find good homes for them after all they've been through," he told Kelly.  "I'm home alright!' I thought, as the news kept coming.  The minute I get  home from any time away I almost dread to hear the phone ring because I know that this never ends!  "Call him back and tell him we will help him place the puppies,"I told Kelly.  He lives in a neighboring town, and we  have enough to handle here, but how do you say no to that?  I can't.

"The man that found that Chocolate Lab that called you before you left town called back , " Kelly said.  "He wondered when we can take that  dog."

"Oh, boy.  I hope he can hold on to the dog for a little while," I said, starting to feel that old familiar stress creeping up my neck.  "Anita is about full at animal control.  We have to get some of those dogs out of there first," I said, knowing  good and well that if the dog he found went to the animal control in Tennessee where he lived it would be the end of that dog .

"I know," Kelly said. Maybe you can call him. "Also the couple that you helped out with Lucky, the dog that was so horribly attacked, needs to leave on Wednesday for Winston for the man's chemo treatments.  They need you to call to make arrangements to pick up Lucky.  They said you would be caring for Lucky while they were away."

"I'll call them tonight as well, " I told her.

I was so heartbroken for this couple and all they have been going through.  I felt I had to help with Lucky.  "Where will I put the poor girl, and how will I care for one more dog?" I thought to myself, but I knew that I would manage it because I had to help these people.  I would hope that someone would do the same for me if I was put in a similar situation.  So, Lucky comes in the morning.  My vet called  tonight and informed me that when he checked her out today he saw that she has a bladder infection on top of everything else.  "Make sure you put her on antibiotics," he said.  Just one more problem for poor old Lucky who is definitely more than lucky to be alive after all she has been through.

I was also called to pick up a tiny Chihuahua yesterday.  I can't tell you much about her story at this time, but it is a very sad one.  She  had to be placed in a home ASAP, so tonight while I type this, Tazzy is on my lap on her beautiful fur blanket that I bought for her yesterday.  She had spent months alone on cold  concrete, so I went all out when I bought her this beautiful blanket.  She is only three pounds, and she has been through her own horror story.  I am so blessed to feel her warm little body on my lap tonight, and I know that she knows that she is finally safe.  She isn't housebroken, and I pretty much have to hand feed her. My other little Chihuahuas go to their pee pee pads, so I can only hope that she will follow their lead.  Now I have more work with Tazzy on top of all the rest, but she deserves to be treated like a princess, and that's what she's getting with me. I will never let this tiny little dog be hurt again. Her story would make you sob.  One day I will tell her story.  But thank God,  now she has a happy ending.

Today Anita went with me to another animal control facility in a neighboring county.  We went to pick up a shaggy dog that was going to be put down today.   I guess there were several that were on the euthanasia list for this morning over there.  I told her that Friends for Life would take the dog out and get him a home.  It was hard to make that decision because we have so many here at our animal control, and they come first.  Anita told me about this poor boy, and I decided that we needed to save him.

I dreaded going over to that place because I know that they put so many animals down. They were still wearing their heavy black gloves when they unlocked the door to let us in, and I knew that they had been euthanizing.  It made my stomach turn.  Cages that had been full were now empty. Beautiful lives would now become part of the landfill. This is the stark reality of the overwhelming problem of homeless and throw away animals in the USA.  We should have spay/neuter laws, but we basically have none.  Something has to change!

   They have very little help at that animal control, and they have no rescue group to help them get the animals out of there on a regular basis.  If these animal control people have no rescues to help them, they wind up having to kill about 90 to 95% of everything that comes in the door.  It is criminal, but it is the way it is.  The officers were very cordial, and I knew they were grateful to Anita and I for helping them. They all shared how much they needed help to save the animals that keep coming to a dead end at that facility.  We told them we may be able to help get some of their dogs on our transports up north, and I could tell they were very happy to think that might happen.  If any of you are reading this from the northern states, please know that all of us in the South need your help! My email address is in my profile. Please contact us!

We were getting ready to leave, and one of the officers looked at me and said,"Have you seen old Roy?"

"I don't think so," I said, dreading to hear what  was coming.

"Come on back, and I'll show him to you," he said as he opened the door to the kennels.

I walked back there to see a pitiful old Collie about 13 years old lying in that cage looking so forlorn.  He had been a beautiful dog in his day.  He was still beautiful to me, but he was so thin, and his coat was dull and in poor condition.  His eyes were cloudy, and his continence told his story of rejection and pain..

"How did he get here?" I asked feeling my heart break again.

"Can you believe that his owner turned him in at this age?" the officer said shaking his head.

"No, I can't understand such a thing!" I said, fighting tears.  "How can anyone justify this?"

"Can you take him?" the officer asked .

"Can you hold on to him for a couple of days?" I asked trying to figure out what on earth I was going to do with all these dogs!

" I really need to move him out of here," he said.

"This is no way for him to finish his life!" I said, still trying to figure out how I could save this poor pathetic old guy.

"No, it's not," the officer replied.  "That's why I wanted you to see him."

Anita looked at me with that look, and I heard myself saying,"Get him out of here.  I'll take him."

"Oh, thanks so much!"  they all said.  The officers were all smiling, and I was thinking that Harry would probably have me committed somewhere by this afternoon! Anita quickly put a leash on the poor old guy and got him out to my SUV as fast as she could hoping I wouldn't come to my senses before we drove away.

We were saying our goodbyes, but the door was still open to the kennels, and I couldn't get my eyes off of the poor dog in the first cage.  I saw her when I walked in, but it was so sad that I just couldn't stop and look at the dogs. After all, we were there to get one dog.  I didn't have the heart to look at any of the rest; that's why I never noticed Old Roy.  She looked just like a dog you would see on one of the SPCA commercials.  She was cowering in the back of her cage shaking like a leaf.  She was white with stunning blue eyes. It's like she knew she was going to die, I  reluctantly started toward her kennel.

"She is so terrified," I said.

"Yes, she is," the officer replied as he opened her cage for me to go in. "We had to get her on a catch pole. There was a dog fight, and she ran and hid under a porch.  We had to get her out."

"She's just a puppy," I said as I reached out to her.  Her eyes were fixed on my every movement. There was a dependency in those beautiful blue eyes that was haunting to me. "She must be about 6 or 7 months old," I said, as I held my hand out to her.

"Yeah, she's young, and she's a pretty thing," he said. "I don't think she'll bite you, but she is really scared.

"Hey, baby, It's OK.  I'm not going to hurt you," I said trying to reassure her.  She just looked at me, and her whole body trembled.  I wanted to grab her and head for the door, but I knew that I had no where for the dogs I had, not to mention that I had Tazzy at home and Lucky on her way.

"Will you hold on to her for me?"I pleaded.  "I'll come back for her as soon as I can get some of the dogs out of our animal control."

"I think we can hold on to her for a while," He said.

 "I'll figure out something for her," I said, not having any idea who would help me.  I have called people until I am blue in the face, and its very easy for them to say they can't and won't help.  I don't get it! I just don't know how people can turn their backs on these poor souls, but they do. They just won't put themselves out even for a few days. I guess if you don't see it every day it's easy to turn a deaf ear and close your eyes to the horror of it all.  One day we will see it all played back to us.

My heart went out to that poor frightened girl as she watched me walk away.  I just wanted to break down and cry as I said good-bye to her.  I have to go back for her.  Somehow I have to find her a foster home.  I'll call the guys tomorrow and remind them that I am working on a place for her, so they don't put her down.  I'll pray, as always, that God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He is my source.

"How am I going to break this to Harry?' I  thought as I said goodbye to the guys.   Anita and I headed back to Boone with two lucky dogs that had just been saved. Now all we had to do is find a home for them!  I still have Anna to get out of animal control. She has mange, and I can't put her with other dogs, but the longer she sits in that cage the harder it's going to be to get her adopted. I had a girl that promised to foster her, but she has never showed up, so the pressure is on me to get her out of there.  So, what else is new? Everyone keeps asking why I haven't gotten Anna out, but I guess they just don't realize that my magic wand is malfunctioning!  Then there is the Lab, the Terrier mix, the hyper little Pit mix named Lexus,, the hound, the other two Pit mixes, and on and on and on it goes.

This afternoon Kelly called and told me that a mother dog had been hit by a car, and she died.  She left eleven tiny puppies. What do we do with eleven little motherless puppies that need to be bottle fed every few hours?  I don't know because I'm brain dead at 1:30AM.  Maybe tomorrow some miracle will happen with all of this. I know we will be heading to the Boone Mall with homeless animals, and we will be praying for good people to show up and take them home.  A lot of people are reading this blog, so maybe someone will get involved with the plight of the throwaways. I pray so.

I'm home!   Stay tuned.