SCARS (Second Chance Animal Refuge Society)

12/11/2025

BREAKING NEWS!!!
Ziggy Stardust will be making a guest appearance at the book signing in his silver chariot!

12/10/2025

If you cannot make it, I will have some signed copies at Lori Yoder's house in town! (contact me and I will give you her phone no and address)

12/09/2025

Update on my runaway books! Now they are promising delivery Friday at 5:00! So....I should still make the book signing at Rosewood Event Center (an old church) 3216 SW 29th St. 1-3 PM Saturday
There will also be a dog/cat picture event with Santa for NE Ks. Animal Welfare...flyer coming soon.

Send a message to learn more

12/09/2025

This is June. She is just turning 9 yrs old, unspayed, no vaccines.
June has been on a chain 24/7 for some time. She did have a makeshift doghouse and a tether to which she was tied. Her owner did not allow her in the house.
My friend, 2 hrs from here, could no longer sleep at night knowing the loneliness and condition of this little dog whose cries went unheard. So she approached the owner who surrendered her and Flo called me. Can you help...please. The weather is turning even colder and my house is too full and money is tight.
What could I say? Surely I could squeeze in one more ....just one more. So I said yes and she arrived last night.
This dog showed all of the symptoms I have seen too many times of dogs on chains....scared, lonely, no attention, no care, anxiety, hysteria, hyperventilation. She cried for hours. At least she was not starving as are so many other chained dogs. There is that
She is dirty and smells bad. Her halter , now gone, was slimy and too tight.
This is what my friend wrote to me today. "In the two hours she was with me in the car, I saw and felt the light and hope begin to return. She let her guard down and showed how desperate she was for love."
Today she went to the vet. June has mammary tumors and is heartworm positive.
At what point did we become an uncaring, uneducated society. One that has individuals who only focus on themselves, what they want, what they can have and ignore the plight of those who have no voice.
We will get her spayed, have the tumors removed and treat the heartworms. But why does it come down to this.....that someone else has to try to undo damage others have done
Do they not know unspayed dogs will probably get pyometra and die, or get tumors also from not being spayed. That male dogs get testicular cancer. How can people be so ignorant? If one cannot afford to care for a dog, take it to a shelter or find it a home.
So, June would have languished on a chain while her heart was slowly strangulated by worms, a horrific , lonely, agonizing death.
Would they have even noticed.
Maybe she is a senior, but so are many of us. She is lively and has good years left and by God I will do everything in my power for her final years to be good ones.. Maybe, just maybe, we will also find her a home who will value her as the treasure she is, and not the worthless life that she is not.

12/04/2025

Update on my books
They were supposed to be here Friday, but rescheduled for Dec 11. This is getting nerve wracking. If I could drive to Maryland and pick them up, I would!
So in the meantime, I think when I get them, I will leave some signed in Topeka at Lori's for those who can not make the signing on the 13th...provided they are here!
Not sure of the price yet...since they are hardback they are a bit more...probably $25 or $30. I have used ZERO funds from SCARS on this book, ..all funds have come from my personal account. However, most of the proceeds will go to SCARS.
Will keep you updated!
P.S. This is the back cover except without the DOGS title....we switched it to the front!

12/02/2025

I have completed my third (and last!) book which is being delivered from my publisher on Friday. One never knows about the mail, but fingers crossed. I wanted it in time for Christmas and in doing so, burned much midnight oil.
I am going to share the introduction and cover here so that you can get an idea of what it will be like. Unfortunately I was not able to get a clear picture of the cover, but this will do for now. It will be an 11 by 11 in size.
I am also going to try to avoid Amazon as it is complicated and just have signings or mail them if you want one. I am scheduled for Dec 13 at the Rosewood Event Center and I will share the details later.
Here we go....
PROLOGUE
With the urging of my friends, I decided to write book number three. However, this one was to be a bit different from the other two....
I thought about a different look from my previous two books. What about a Coffee Table Book (even if you don't have a coffee table!) Glossy pictures would be fun, so I contacted my wonderful publisher in Virginia and asked if he would be interested in this project even though he was trimming his sails these days. But he thought it was a great idea and said, "Let's do it!!"
I have written hundreds of facebook posts over the years and some are worthy of being included. Although you may have read some, stay with me as many are new. Some of the old ones have been updated and I have added an epilogue so you will know the "rest of the story."
I decided to begin with Bluebelle who has many adoring followers. She has won our hearts by surviving, against almost impossible odds, a condition known as hydrocephalus. Her brain is 95% fluid but she lives life to the fullest every day.
You will meet Humphrey who was tied to a 4 ft chain for most of the ten years of his life, and is now enjoying freedom in the country. And Finney, starving and wobbling down a country road. Astrid who survived a pre euthanasia shot and lived to be adopted.
And, of course little Lester, whom we all love. And more...read on.

These dogs have taught me, and all of us, about love, forgiveness, and the ability to endure and ultimately triumph against a world that is not always kind.
And to dog lovers everywhere....their story is our story.

12/02/2025

There are many advantages to having dogs in a somewhat normal situation for awhile. We learn about their personalities and are able to share with interested families. Tonight Kelli took Gus out to our yard and he ran and ran in the snow, jumping up and down like a puppy. I have always felt the best cure for anxiety in people and animals is exercise!! He will be fine.....as Terry always told me, "Just give them time....."

12/01/2025

Gus is watching me in the kitchen!

12/01/2025

I could write a book about Gus and his endless journey, but will try to summarize.
When , after Gus was dumped twice, he found his forever family in Oregon, his owner developed cancer and the family informed her if she died, Gus was gone...they never liked him. And then the miracle...my friend flew to Oregon and brought him back here in a rental car. He adored her and was the perfect passenger. On Thanksgiving eve her tire blew out 60 miles west of Lymon, Colorado and she had to change the tire ( a donut) on I70 at night and limped to a motel in Lymon. The next morn was Tgiving and the rental co informed her there were NO cars available anywhere. Another night in Lymon and then a truck was available in Colorado Springs and she and Gus drove, on the donut, 70 miles to get the truck and arrive in Kansas. She took him to the foster where he had stayed for a short while, but he was now different and not doing well with her dogs so he is with me. The buck stops here.
Gus is a wonderful dog, beautiful and sweet, but he is not perfect. He has clearly had fleas and has dry skin and I have him on antibiotics and have treated him for any remaining fleas. He has anxiety and cries when separated from people, but not destructive. The main problem is his barrier aggression......he acts crazy when someone comes to the door. (typical aussie) He tried to scare Kevin and Keith this morn but calmed down when I spoke to him.
Gus is not perfect, as I said, but he is a wonderful dog. He is a registered. 5 yr old. neutered male and LOVES kids. There is the perfect home out there probably a quieter environment, woman owner, but no one who is afraid to handle his behavior at the door.
AND,,,I will make it work here although the last thing I needed was one more dog with winter coming. I will not let him down....he will go nowhere again until it is the right home. He has been through enough.
Anyone who wants to talk about him can call me 785-221-6247.
For now he is fine and getting settled down, which is not easy around this place.
I told him to tell Santa that he is naughty and nice, but mostly nice!

11/22/2025

Several months ago I got a call from a couple who was moving and could not take their dog. They told me he was living in their truck and would stay there until he could be rescued. He was a Cocker Spaniel, although unrecognizable as one from the matting and desperate need of grooming. After going to the vet, getting fixed and receiving all vaccines we then had him groomed. What a doll emerged!
As you can see , he is absolutely gorgeous and living happily with his new family. And this is why we do what we do.

11/19/2025

Because it is getting late and I have had a long day, I will summarize the story on Gus as much as possible
Gus is a GORGEOUS 5 yr old registered Australian Shepherd, neutered and housebroken. He loves kids and gets along fine with other dogs. I think cats too, but do not quote me.
To say it mildly, Gus has had a run of bad luck, the likes of which are not his fault. When his first owner passed, the family wanted to dump him at local shelter but a friend contacted me, and we came up with a better plan...find him a new home and we did, or so we thought
The new family "adored" him and he was to be their dad's dog...all was roses and until suddenly....he was not welcome. He was too strong for Dad who had to be protected. After all, our dad is in his 80's ...something we had discussed with them prior to the adoption.
Gus has one drawback, he gets attached to his home and barks and acts crazy when someone comes to the door. My parents had a dog like that for 17 yrs and we all dealt with it because like most family members, he was not perfect, and we were a military family, and everyone was expected to do their part and be responsible.
So if this is something you could NEVER handle (after all...."we" have neighbors who have children.....and we cannot have that! and what if dad....mom....cousin....creature from outer space..comes to our door...NO WAY will we put up with that kind of behavior from a DOG!) then scroll on past this post.
So, Gus went to a friend's house and in the meantime, we had an app from a family in OREGON...yep, that's right. They HAD to have him so we launched into action. A friend and her husband drove half way to Oregon where the new family met them. Lots of miles were traveled but they adored Gus, or rather mom did..
I got a call day before yesterday. Mom has been diagnosed with Lymphoma and Gus has to go because the family feels they cwould not be able to help should mom become too ill. What now?
In the meantime, a friend in Wichita called me to ask about Ziggy and in the course of the conversation, I jokingly said, "Do you know anyone going to Eugene, Oregon anytime soon? To my astonishment, she replied her dad lived near there and she was due for a visit. Scroll ahead....she is flying to Oregon Monday and returning (30+ hr drive) in a rental car with Gus on board and bringing him here.
Pray for their safe travels.
If that does not assure us that there are forces beyond our control guiding us along our way, then what will? Just click your Ruby slippers and you may end up in Oz, or maybe Kansas!

11/17/2025

Picking up the reins when someone has dropped them, can be a daunting task.
However, when one is determined and surrounded by dog loving friends, nothing is impossible. With that being said, we have no idea what the end result will be with Ziggy, but we are pressing ahead.
Thank you, Kelli, for your efforts in securing Ziggy in a cart and urging him to walk, and thank you ,Jenny, for bringing your backpack and taking Ziggy for a fun and energetic walkabout.
Surely he wonders what has happened to a life that was one of neglect, to one of love and attention. It seems to suit him just fine.