musing
people often ask me how or why I do this animal rescue thing.
when I start to answer and my answer gets to side stepping and talking with great passion about the animals we have saved or the animals we weren't able to save, the faces oftentimes sort of glaze over and I realize I have lost them in the answer.
I am passionate about this, but realize that everyone is not. and that is ok. we can't all be passionate about the same sorts of issues - otherwise the things needing help whether it be animals, children, abuse, hunger, illness, whatever, something wouldn't get the attention it needs.
in addition to being passionate, I am lucky. I have a spouse who does understand my passion, and even though he talks tough sometimes to others, he is passionate about the animals needing our help as well. If he weren't he would not go out in the dark, pouring rain multiple times to try to capture one last kitten of a litter born and living in a drain pipe. He wouldn't give up our bathroom for the latest puppy or kitten needing a quiet place until a home can be found. He wouldn't live hand to mouth going without when our television dies and we don't have money to replace it, but finding that we do have money for yet more vet care when the donations dwindle. he wouldn't sit and hold a puppy still while giving it fluids every two hours during the night while we fight a case of puppy parvo. he talks tough, but he does care - deeply.
yes, I am passionate, lucky and blessed.
It has been awhile
We at the shelter have been quite busy however.
About a year ago, on my way to channel 16 for our pet of the week segment, I noticed a beautiful dog in the access loop to the interstate. I noticed her each week. After a few weeks of watching her, I realized she LIVED in that loop. She slept under some favorite crepe myrtles and in a storm culvert. hot. cold. rain. sunshine. she was there.
The thought of that dog living there was quite troubling. The highway or the interstate were her only access out of that ramp and apparently she was using both. It was only a matter of time before she would get hit by traffic on one or the other.
I began to feed her in an attempt to gain her trust. She apparently had others who had noticed her as well, as evidenced by various piles of dog food, bowls and hamburger wrappers. She was somewhat trusting, but not enough for me to get close enough to get a lead around her neck. She did realize I was there to feed her, which pleased her, but she also realized I was wanting to catch her, which did not please her and she kept a distance.
Later, I received a phone call from a woman who also had noticed the blond beauty and she informed me that she had been trying to gain her trust by feeding her. This woman told me that she had named her Faith Hill. Strange name I thought, but then she went on to explain that she wanted the dog to have Faith that she was going to get her off that Hill. The name then made perfect sense to me.
Cristie had made better progress in gaining Faiths trust than I, and Faith was getting to where she would run up when she heard her car pull to the side of the road. Cristie was able to get within feet of Faith, which was better than I had obtained, but still not enough to get a leash over her head.
One cold blustery day earlier this year, we borrowed a trap from the Mississippi Animal Rescue League in an attempt to get her out of the sub-freezing raining weather. We sat for hours in the cold watching Faith circle and study the trap. Closer and closer she got, but never went in. Finally, we had to give up, and return the trap to the League, Faith was NOT going into a trap under any circumstances that cold cold afternoon.
Then one day we noticed, Faith found a boyfriend. A beautiful yellow lab/golden retriever mix. Oh they had a fabulous time frolicking in the grass out in that loop and over by the IHOP on the otherside of the highway. They were always together, Faith and her fella. The boyfriend was much more skiddish than Faith, no matter how hard she would try to explain to him that we were ok, he would not listen. Rather, he would run off in the other direction franticly barking at us. Faith, it appeared would bark at him in a different tone, perhaps telling him that we were safe.
Alas, about a month ago the boyfriend made a failed attempt to cross the interstate and Christie found him one morning dead on the shoulder of the interstate. She also found that Faith was very much with puppy.
Christie and emailed back and forth about what to do about Faith and how it would be a terrible thing for her to have puppies in her chosen location of home. We devised a plan and headed out to try yet again to get her, but Faith was no where to be found. Christie searched, I searched, Faith had found another place to be.
Then about two weeks ago, Christie called me; FAITH HAD SHOWN BACK UP, with lots of puppies. Faith had apparently had her pups and brought them to her "home". She had placed the puppies under the bridge of Highway 18 and was dreadfully close to the interstate.
So. Again, Christie and I began a plan to catch Faith and now her puppies. Surely we could catch her if we got her puppies in a trap? NO? NO.
We called on the help of CARA (Community Animal Rescue and Adoption) and with the help of Jerri Bennett and Janet Madden the plan to get Faith commenced.
God Bless Janet Madden. that woman sat out on that loop, in the rain, in the heat, in the ants, in the chiggers. patiently working Faith. She held puppies out to her, she fed her about 15 tons of bacon, and she sang to her. I myself have never heard Janet sing, but sing she did. And Faith listened. Faith would come up to her and nudge her with her nose, Janet would try to grab her and Faith would JUMP back and run a few feet away - barking. Then she would slowly come back up and lie in the grass, listening to Janet sing.
We would then reset the trap with bacon and puppies inside, thinking that perhaps Faith would have some motherly instinct outweighing her fear of traps. NOPE. Not puppies and not her beloved bacon would entice Faith to go in the dreaded trap.
I suggested we set up a pen in the interstate and put the pups in the pen - perhaps she would go in the pen. But what if Mississippi Department of Transportation found out, what then?
Janet figured out how to get one of the CARA portable pens made by Priefert out there to try this concept. The Priefert pen could be assembled and disassembled quickly if MDOT came out to evict us from our camp-out.
So. The CARA personnel brought out a Priefert, Janet put the puppies in the pen, Janet's brother got under a sheet behind the pen with a rope tied to the gate and low and behold Faith went into the pen. The gate was slammed shut and then they were able to loop her with a catchers pole and put her in a crate for delivery out to CARA.
Now, Faith and her 8 pups are safe and secure and OFF THAT HILL.
just got a letter from one of my dogs
Max was a puppy born at the shelter, his litter had a hard time at first, came down with parvo - it was touch and go for awhile.
anyway, Max was adopted by a great family in the country and he just sent me this letter:
Hi Ms. Elizebeth;
I wanted to send you a note to let you know how I have been doing. First I have to thank you for the great family you let me go with ( I get treats for almost anything even just looking cute). I have my very own blue teddy bear that I sleep with every night ( not because I am afraid or anything). There is also another puppy named Bear that sleeps with me (because I think he is afraid). There are two other girl dogs. Avalanche (Ava) is a Great Pyrenees and boy is she big and bossy too. If she think there is danger or I might get hurt she herds me onto the deck in my yard until she lays back down. Did I tell you that she was bossy? Well she is! Then there is Chloe she is a Chihuahua and so funny, she growls and that makes me laugh so much that I have to lick her all over and make her growl more. She stays pretty wet because of me. We all get to go for walks in the woods next to my new house several times a week. Wow there is so much to smell over there that our walks take forever but I love it. My kid that plays with me alot has a big comfortable bed and I love love love to sleep with her, but with all of us dogs trying to get in bed with her there isn't a whole lot of room so now we take turns sleeping with her. When I first get into the bed I have to take a flying leap onto my kid. That is so much fun. My family tells me that Bear and I are getting our very own pool. We aren't allowed to get in the big peoples pool (too much fur I guess). Well I am going to go play for now and I will try to write again soon. My people are sending you some pictures this coming week and they told me to tell you that they couldn't have a more perfect addition to their family than me and Bear. I love and will never forget how generous you were fostering me until I had my forever home. Thank again. Max
