My First Walk With Molly

I took Molly, my most recent foster dog, for a walk today.  It’s a simple thing, and yet it felt momentous, a little like giving birth.

I’ve walked hundreds of dogs, most of them rescues, and I haven’t met one yet who didn’t enjoy a good walk. But Molly is different.  I had no idea if I could even get her to go along with the idea, much less be happy about it.

Molly’s story with us started a few months ago when the Franklin County Humane Society received an email from the county shelter saying that Molly was showing “aggressive behavior” and would have to leave the shelter – followed by the implied or else.  Or else means her life would be ended there.

We had seen her picture before receiving that email.  She was a beautiful Aussie cross with expressive wide brown eyes that clearly showed her worry in being at the county shelter. That was all we had to go on when a Franklin County Humane Society volunteer went down to get her.

In the days that followed, we learned that Molly was very afraid of people she did not know and showed her fear by growling when someone new approached her.  Men in hats seemed to be especially upsetting.

In the weeks that followed, Molly was adopted and returned when she did significant damage to a living room after being left alone in the house.  We then concluded that she had severe separation anxiety.  None of these things bode well for being adopted.  After discussing her case with our veterinarian, we decided to try an anxiety medication for her.

That was when I brought her home with me to foster.  I wasn’t exactly sure what she would need, and since I have a full house of my own, I opted to let her hang out in what we call our doggie clubhouse, a nice little room of her own that has a doggie door to a fenced yard.

For the first two days, she felt better evaluating me outside.  Her growl was more question than threat, and I sat with her, tossing her cookies and letting her set the agenda.  I did this several times over the next couple days, and at some point, she no longer felt the need to growl at me.  We just hung out looking at each other, eating animal crackers and getting to know one another.

On the third day, I moved our meeting inside the clubhouse, sitting in a chair and again letting her set the agenda, coming in and out of the doggie door to take cookies from me as she wanted.  We danced this dance for twenty or thirty minutes before she decided to sit down in front of me and take the cookies without going outside to eat them.  I still made no move to pet her.  Five or six cookies later, she moved closer to the chair and lay down on her side, exposing her belly for me to rub.

Now that I had her permission, I stroked her soft fur over and over.  She flinched a couple of times and then relaxed, clearly enjoying the petting.  And just like that, we were friends.  Hard-earned, but oh, so worth it.

I did this again the next day.  It took less time this go-round for us to get to the rubbing stage.  And so today, I decided to try a walk.

Molly was uneasy when she saw the leash, but I felt she trusted me enough now that I could force the issue a little more, and so I did.  As soon as we walked out the door into the cool evening air, she became instantly infused with happiness, a prance in her walk, her tail wagging.

The sun was setting as we strolled through the field where I like to walk my other dogs.  Some deer hopped up from the edge of the woods and scooted across the grass in front of us.  Molly perked her ears and looked up at me as if to ask whether she could chase them or not.  “We’ll just watch,” I said, and she seemed content with that.

I’ve had rewarding experiences like this with other foster dogs, but none more so than Molly.  I don’t know what happened to her before she came to us, but I know she has reason to be cautious.  I also now know that she is a dog who once you earn her trust, she will give you everything she has to give.  I hope a forever person is just ahead on Molly’s horizon.  Hers is the most rewarding kind of love of all, the kind you have to be deserving of.

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Molly is currently interviewing families.  Please see her petfinder.com link at:

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22041357

Written by Inglath Cooper

www.facebook.com/inglathcooperbooks

Kennedy the Cat by Natalie Lorens

A wonderful story here about Kennedy, a kitty left at the Franklin County Animal Shelter and taken in by the Humane Society. Nine year old Natalie Lorens had the opportunity to get to know Kennedy and liked him so much that she wrote a story about him.  We wanted to share that story with you.  Thank you, Natalie, for being a friend to Kennedy!

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Kennedy the Cat

By: Natalie Lorens

Age 9

Once upon time there was a lonely girl. She dreamed of a gray and white cat.

There was a cat looking for a home. He was a gray and white cat.

Kennedy

One day a girl named Lilly was walking home from school. Suddenly she heard a soft meow. She looked everywhere but could not find where it came from.

When she got home she asked her mom, ”Mom can we get a cat, I would take care of him” asked Lilly. “No it would be to expensive and besides it would get hair everywhere,“ said mom.

The next day when Lilly went to school she couldn’t stop thinking about the meow she had heard. School seemed to last forever. When the bell rang I ran outside. I couldn’t wait.

When Lilly came to the spot where she had heard the meow she looked around.  She saw and little gray and white cat just like she had always wanted.  Lilly walked slowly towards the cat.  The cat looked at her and ran away.

When Lilly got home she asked her mom if cats where always scared of people?  “Not always sweetie, if it’s wild it can be scared”, said mom.

When I went bed there was a knock at the door.  “Honey will you get that please?”, yelled dad.  I got of bed and walked towards the door.  It was Jim, a friend from school.  “Hi”, Jim said.  Jim had a cage in his hand.  “This is my cat”, he said.  I looked inside the cage. It was the gray and white cat!  “This is my cat Kennedy.  I am moving away and cannot take him with me.  I saw you with him after school.  I thought you might want him?”  Jim asked.  I did not know what to say.

I finally said okay my mom would be really mad but I would have a cat.

The next day it was a Sunday. When my mom saw the cage she asked “What is that?”  “Oh that’s Kennedy “I said. “Who”, Dad asked. “It’s Jim’s cat he is moving away and asked me to take care of him”, I said. Mom groaned. Dad said to get in the car. “Why” I asked. “We are going to the pound” Mom said madly.

That night after we had dropped Kennedy at the pound, I felt so bad. I had told Jim I would keep Kennedy and I didn’t.

The next day when I went to school I saw Jim. I asked him why he was here “ I thought you were moving away?”, I asked.” I am moving but I’m moving on the 15 “, Jim said. “Oh”, I said. “How is Kennedy doing?” asked Jim.

“I love him and he is so cute”, I said. “Jim I have something to tell you”, I said. “What”, he asked. I paused for a second then said “My mom wants to take Kennedy to the pound”, I said. Jim frowned. “Why”, he asked. “I don’t know”, I said.

Two days later after Jim had move away. I went to visit Kennedy everyday. Lilly’s mom thought Lilly was playing with her best friend Sara.

One day after school I went to visit Kennedy, like I did everyday. When I got there, I went to Kennedy’s cage. He wasn’t there! I ran to the front desk, I said, “Where is Kennedy?” “Oh he is sick, they moved him to the sick room down the hall” the lady said. I ran down the hall. Kennedy was in a cage curled in a ball. “Hi Kennedy” I said. He looked at me.

I looked at him. He meowed and got up. I opened the cage and picked him up. He started to purr. Then one of the staff members came in and said, “I need to take his temperature” said the staff member. I gave Kennedy a final pat on the head and gave him to the staff member. The staff member walked away with him.

A week later my mom asked me why I was playing with Sara so much. I said we were making a movie. I got on my bike, and I went to the pound. When I got there I saw Kennedy at the front desk. I went over and asked “Why is Kennedy up here?” “Oh he is just going to be looked at by the vet, Dr. Bowler. I said ok. I was fine with that. Dr. Bowler looked at Kennedy and said he was homesick.

Five days later I was about to go see Kennedy when my mom said, “Honey stay inside, it’s too cold out there.” I groaned. Mom I really want to go outside. I’ll wear a big coat, please! “No” mom says sternly. I slowly walked to my room and opened the window and jumped out, and ran to the pound.

When I got to the pound, I ran to the sick room. Kennedy wasn’t there! I ran to his other cage and he was there playing with a toy mouse. I opened the cage and I picked up the mouse and dangled it in front of his face. He flashed out his paw and knocked the mouse out of my hand.

When Lilly got home, the window was closed, and she tried to slide it open but it wouldn’t budge. She ran to the front door but it was locked! Lilly knocked on the door; no answer. I ran and got the spare key. I unlocked the door and ran inside. Nobody was home. I was scared.

Kennedy

Two hours later mom and dad came home with a cage in their hand! It was Kennedy! Lilly’s mom and dad had been worrying about her and had stopped by the shelter. The staff told them how much Lilly had been visiting and how much Lilly loved Kennedy. Kennedy purred the whole way home.

Where Are They All Coming From?

It’s a question my friends in rescue ask every time 4 or 5 dogs have just been saved from being euthanized, and then another email notice arrives the following day from the county shelter saying they are “full” and help is again needed.

“Full” in the context of a county shelter is a terrible word. The word brings an instant knot to my stomach and those of the volunteers I work with at the Franklin County Humane Society. “Full” means the dog or cat who has been at the shelter the longest is most in danger of losing his or her life when another person walks in and “surrenders” their dog or cat to the pound.

That’s another word that has its own special context where the county shelter is concerned.

sur·ren·der (s -r n d r) v. sur·ren·dered, sur·ren·der·ing, sur·ren·ders v.tr. 1. To relinquish possession or control of to another because of demand or compulsion. 2. To give up in favor of another. 3. To give up or give back (something that has been granted): surrender a contractual right. 4. To give up or abandon: surrender all hope. 5. To give over or resign (oneself) to something, as to an emotion: surrendered himself to grief. 6. Law To restore (an estate, for example), especially to give up (a lease) before expiration of the term. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/surrender

The largest percentage of dogs and cats listed on the available for transfer sheet from our county pound are noted as “Owner Surrenders.” I’ve often wondered who came up with that term. It implies that the dog or cat was given up against a person’s free will. When that’s not actually the case at all.

“Surrendered” is a euphemism for given up, thrown away, abandoned, no longer want to accept responsibility for, have gotten tired of, never wanted anyway, don’t have time or desire to problem solve for.

The best analogy for dog and cat rescue I’ve ever heard is this: it’s like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket. No sooner do you run to the sand and pour out your pail of water than you look back, and there’s an entire ocean’s worth rolling right at you.

Such is the case with an open admission county shelter. Dogs or cats with their puppies and kittens are taken in without question. “You don’t want them anymore? Drop them off. Maybe someone will happen by and adopt one of them. If you’re lucky, a rescue group will think they can place them and take them in.”

Or, depending on where the shelter is, it is just as likely that none of the above will happen, and the pet that mere days before lived in a home with his or her family will be given a lethal injection that ends his or her life and leaves the person who surrendered him or her free and clear of all responsibility. People who once loved them, brought them into their families as puppies or kittens, only to decide one day that they don’t want them anymore.

Which really makes our question all the sadder. Because that’s where most of them are coming from.

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Written by Inglath Cooper

What made me write this piece? Reading this: As Blue as a Summer Sky: Austin, Then and Now 

Dogs Like Leia

So I’m taking a few hours on this last day of the year to clean up my laptop since it continues to complain of an overloaded hard drive.  Photos take up much of the memory, mostly of dogs and cats I’ve created promotional posts for to be used on Facebook and such.

In looking back over the dogs helped by the Franklin County Humane Society in 2011 alone, I’m shocked at how many there are.  Amazed, too, when I compare the before photos of dogs we’ve helped with the after photos. Before being when we first took them in and after meaning once they’d gotten the care they needed or even later on after they were adopted by a loving family.

All of the faces are immediately familiar, and my heart aches a little for the sweetness of knowing they were each helped.  Many of them came to us with injuries, broken legs, pelvic fractures, open wounds.  Each of them received the care they needed and then went on to be adopted.

Of all the familiar faces though, I don’t suppose there is any more glaring example of the importance of what we do than the story of Nola who went on to become Leia in the Gorth family.

Nola

The picture you see here is the Nola first brought to the Franklin County Humane Society.  It took a series of angels to make that happen for her, starting with a woman who had seen Nola hanging out at a convenience store, obviously starved and uncared for.  She was the first to begin seeking help for Nola, but each of the angels that followed in her journey to a family are all equally important.

For me, that’s what makes all of this such a wonderful thing to be a part of.  One person doesn’t have to do it all.  One person can’t do it all. But each of us can be a link in the chain of events needed to take a dog like starving, uncared for Nola to a family like the Gorths where she is now Leia, shiny, healthy and loved.

Leia

I’m both humbled and honored to be one of the links in the Franklin County Humane Society chain of volunteers, staff and supporters who made a dream come true for Leia and so many others like her in 2011. If you’ve thought about volunteering or donating, in whatever capacity, let 2012 be the year you act on it.  With every new link, the chain becomes longer and stronger, and dogs like Nola become dogs like Leia.

Christmas with Camelot

Lola and Camelot

The joys of Christmas morning are obvious in a home where people love each other and come together to exchange gifts that represent that love.  I feel immensely blessed to be part of a home like that, and there’s no question that this is one day of the year when my children and my husband remind me of what it means to be loved and cared for.

My dogs remind me of that, too.

On Christmas morning, our living room explodes with a profusion of wrapping paper, empty boxes and oohed and aahed over gifts.  Scattered among and in between it all are our dogs.  Ninety pound Simon found as a six-week old puppy with his five siblings after being left to fend for themselves at an abandoned house.  Roscoe, sleek and beautiful hound boy rescued from a county shelter where he had been left with a broken heart.  Bea, sweet Beagle girl once starving and found searching for food on the side of the road.  Pretty Julia saved as a puppy on her last day at the county shelter.  And fourteen year old Sophie, the yellow Lab matriarch of our family.

They each watch and absorb the merriment, lazing in front of the fireplace, sprawled out on the sofa.

New to the commotion this year is our most recent foster dog, Camelot.  Ten days ago, he was a picture on the Franklin County Humane Society Facebook page, an older dog in urgent need of help at the Franklin County Animal Control Shelter.  Last week, the Franklin County Humane Society went to the county shelter to pick him up and take him for a vet check where it was determined that in addition to his malnourished condition, he is severely heartworm positive and has teeth urgently in need of care.  He is in the range of 8 years old. His treatment plan will be a lengthy one, and so he will need to be in foster care for a while.

That’s how he ended up at our house.

On the first day he arrived, I tried setting him up in his own room, complete with a comfy rug and toys.  But he was miserable, and it wasn’t until I bunked him up with my two oldies but goodies, Rosie and Gleeson that it became clear what was making him unhappy.  He didn’t want to be alone.  Being with them seemed to comfort him, and he curled up and slept the rest of the night like a dog that finally feels safe and knows he has nothing to worry about.

It’s my experience that it takes a little time to get to know a new dog and what makes them comfortable and happy.  But with Camelot, it didn’t take long at all.  His needs and expectations are simple.  He is transparently grateful for the bowl of food that arrives at feeding time.  His tail wags and his ribby body shakes with excitement.  When it’s time to go outside, he makes use of the fenced yard, and then returns to the door with a hopeful look on his greying face, as if he isn’t sure that he will be allowed to come back in.  His older hound bark is raspy and hoarse, and it seems to take a lot of his energy to let it go on for long.

Early this Christmas morning, before the household is fully awake, I take Camelot his breakfast.  He stretches and yawns and then gets to his feet with an instantly wagging tail, ducking his head to eat his food with obvious appreciation.  Watching him, I wonder if it is his first Christmas morning inside a home where it’s warm and he doesn’t have to shiver against the December cold.

I suspect that it is.

That is my first gift on this beautiful day.  The feeling of joy that comes with sharing our life with a dog like him.  Knowing that he is here with us, and that he will be helped by a string of people intent on finding him the family that will give him this for the rest of his life.

I know there will be presents to open in the day ahead.  But gifts really don’t get any better than the joy I receive from having Christmas with Camelot.

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Written by Inglath Cooper

www.inglathcooper.com

Stella’s Story

Stella arrived at the Franklin County Animal Control Shelter with a litter of puppies smack in the middle of December, a time of year when dog adoptions generally slow down for most rescue groups.  People are busy with Christmas preparations, and taking on a new responsibility at this time isn’t something they’re most likely thinking about.

Stella

That in and of itself stacked the odds against her chances of being adopted or taken in by a rescue group.  Then there’s the fact that she’s a Pit Bull.  She is extremely thin.  And she has a litter of puppies young enough to be nursing, considering that she is still full of milk. She also has a mass on her tail, and Franklin County apparently doesn’t provide funding for medical needs such as this.

Mass on Stella's Tail

In Franklin County in the middle of December, Stella’s odds aren’t good.

At the shelter, Stella is stressed enough that she stops feeding her puppies.  Or, considering her condition, she may just not be physically able to feed them.  A group is asked to take the puppies.  They come and get them and Stella is left at the shelter.

Stella

The Franklin County Humane Society is asked to take Stella.  It is noted that if the Humane Society cannot take her, she will be euthanized because she is probably not adoptable with the mass on her tail.

The Franklin County Humane Society does take Stella and gets her immediate medical attention.  The veterinarian rates her body condition as a 1 on a scale of 1 to 9.  She is still full of milk, and mastitis is a concern.  She cannot undergo any type of surgery for the mass on her tail until her health is improved.

From this point on, she will get the love and care she needs to become healthy again.  It’s sad though that she doesn’t have her puppies with her while that happens.  Both for her and for them.

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Written by Inglath Cooper

If you would like to make a donation for Stella’s care, please go to:  http://franklincountyhumanesociety.chipin.com/stella

What Kind of Heart Does it Take?

The Franklin County Humane Society is a small rescue group in one county in the state of Virginia. We do our best to take in dogs and cats from people who can no longer afford to care for them. To those people who responsibly seek help in difficult times, we are grateful to be able to make a difference.

Then there are those who choose to do something very different.

The dogs pictured below have come into our care within the past week alone. They are the victims of those choices.

Waldo

Waldo is an older Poodle found in the parking lot of the 220 Stop and Go. He is blind, neglected beyond any imaginable standard, his coat matted and tangled. He has an injury to his right front leg. The vet isn’t sure if it is cancerous or an injury resulting from the hair being so matted around the leg that it cut off the circulation. A good Samaritan found him and brought him to us. He may be facing amputation of his injured leg.

Injured Beagle

This six-month old Beagle boy was hit by a car and has damage to a hind leg. When he was brought to the adoption center, he leaned into Karin, the director there, as if he knew he had arrived at a safe place. Even so, he seems very depressed.

Turner

Turner was also hit by a car on 220. By the end of the week, he broke with Parvo and is being treated for that. We can only hope he will make it through.

Puppy from litter of eight

This puppy is one in a litter of eight puppies who came to us this week in varied states of injury, neglect and starvation. He has an abscess beneath his eye. His breathing is compromised.

Malnourished puppy

This sweet boy is 13 weeks old and weighs 4.1 pounds. He has an abscess on the side of his face, most likely from a bite wound.  Hard to know where he would have gotten that.

Bobby

Bobby arrived with a broken leg and is heartworm positive. He is a very sweet boy who still has a look of worry in his eyes.

Nana

Nana was brought to us in a state of neglect. She had to have surgery at Virginia Tech this week for a liver shunt. She is a dear little girl who clearly has few expectations of kindness or care.

What kind of heart does it take to be responsible for this kind of suffering in these innocent and helpless dogs and puppies? That’s not a question I even know how to begin to answer.

What kind of heart does it take to help them? I do know the answer to that.  Individuals who spend huge chunks of their time and resources driving, fostering, caring for, walking, feeding, rehabilitating, promoting, fundraising and donating for these wounded little souls.

Those hearts, I understand.

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If you possibly can, please consider making a contribution to the medical expenses for these babies. It is desperately needed.  Just click here:  Babies-in-Need Chipin

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Written by Inglath Cooper

Why Dog Rescue Requires Faith or Columbo’s Epilogue

Columbo

One of the first things you can’t help but think when bringing a new dog into rescue is “how quickly will we find a good home for this dog?”  The reason is there are always others right behind that one waiting for and needing our help.  The faster we are able to place a dog with a good family, the faster we can help the next.

It goes without saying some dogs are more easily placed than others.  Puppies, usually, easy.  Cute little dogs.  Usually, a snap.  Bigger dogs, a little longer.  Older big dogs.  Longer yet.  Pit bulls, even longer.  Big, hulky pit bulls, well you get the picture.

Columbo fell into this last category, a linebacker of a fella with the potential to intimidate with a look if you’re easily intimidated that way.  But looks were deceiving with this boy.  Intimidation wasn’t his thing.  Making new friends was.

And boy, did Columbo make a lot of new friends when he came to the Franklin County Humane Society.

One of Columbo’s first friends was Ray Elkins, the kind and committed man who helps take care of the dogs at the FCHS Adoption Center.  Ray treats the dogs like they are his own, and they seem to instantly know this.  The Adoption Center might be their temporary home, some for longer than others, but while they are there, they’re cared for like family.

Columbo certainly was.  He and Ray had a good long while to cement their friendship.  Columbo arrived at the Adoption Center in May 2011 after being rescued from a REALLY bad situation that no longer matters except it is part of his past.  He went home with his family on November 23, 2011.

If you believe in meant-to-be, Columbo’s story is solid evidence you’re right.

To hear Ray talk about this family’s first meeting with Columbo is almost like hearing Columbo tell you himself.  That’s how well Ray knows him.  And Ray knew the moment he watched Columbo greet them that this special dog knew his family had finally come for him.

To those who ask about Columbo now, Ray relays how he misses him, but watching one of the children in Columbo’s new family hug the dog’s neck, well, that’s when he knew he’d been a part of something meaningful.

It doesn’t matter that it took months to find that family for Columbo.  All that matters is he’s home.  All of us who have loved him and wanted this for him now know he has it.  In this season of Thanksgiving, that is something we’re all thankful for.

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Written by Inglath Cooper

Please also read A Dog Like Columbo.

Seven Sweeties Saved

Rona

Every Tuesday, Karin Perala, the Director at the Franklin County Humane Society Adoption Center, and Elizabeth Little, chronically devoted Volunteer, make a trip to the Franklin County Animal Control Shelter.

Riana

They have to decide which dogs most need help among those ready to be transferred.  It is a stressful process, deciding which ones to take and which to leave, hoping they can come back for the others later.

Raine

Karin and Elizabeth had taken pictures of the newly available dogs, decided which ones they would take that day when someone pulled into the parking lot with seven 16-week old puppies they were going to turn in to the county shelter.  These puppies had been abandoned on someone’s property where they couldn’t be cared for. Puppies without vaccinations are inherently more at risk in shelter situations than dogs who have been vaccinated previously.  And so, Karin and Elizabeth added the seven to the already full van headed back to the Adoption Center.

Raegan

Rori

Once there, they were tucked into their den and fed, each of them all but starving.  They received their shots and exam and will soon be spayed and neutered.  According to Elizabeth, they are “all sweet and lovely, just like puppies should be.”

Raven

When people ask what it takes to run the FCHS Adoption Center each year, it is a difficult question to answer.  It takes a lot of things.  The first is a willingness to say yes when there is a need.  Karin knew the risk of leaving the puppies at the county shelter, and so even though the Adoption Center is full, she said yes and took them.  The second thing it takes is the support of a community who recognizes the value of what is being done.

Reese(boy)

We are grateful to all of you who support our work in helping these seven sweeties and the others like them.  If you would like to contribute to their medical fund, please click here.  Seven Sweeties Chipin

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Written by Inglath Cooper

But for the Kindness of a Stranger

Matey

It was rainy yesterday. Not cold. But not exactly a day to be without shelter or food. Definitely not a day to be eight weeks old and suddenly left to fend for yourself like Matey.

This baby Lab-cross did the best he could and hid under a truck in the parking lot of Centra Link on 619 in Rocky Mount, Virginia. That, at least, kept the rain off him. But by the time the man who owned the truck returned to leave work for the day, Matey had to be hungry. And cold. And scared.

Luckily, the man saw him. Luckily, the man cared what happened to him. He coaxed him out and tucked him inside a cardboard box. He drove him to the Franklin County Humane Society Adoption Center and asked for help with Matey. When Karin Perala, the Adoption Center director, pulled him out of the box, they discovered that his left hind foot was deformed.

Matey

Matey is just a baby. It’s hard to think about him being outside last night in the rain alone. It’s hard to think about him being hungry and scared.

But for the kindness of a stranger, he would have been.

Today, I am thankful for kind people.

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If you would like to contribute to Matey’s care, please click here:  Matey’s chipin fund.

Written by Inglath Cooper