12/11/2024
Shared some happy news from today that brought big smiles to us in the shelter, now I should probably share yesterday’s news. It’s easier for me to share happy posts, I don’t do as well with sharing sad stories. And yes, I do get critiqued for that by our own people and some of those who watch our work from the sidelines. Part of it is that I don’t do well asking for help. Another part is that I’ve been told many times over the years by great donors how much they appreciate the fact that we don’t expose them to the sad and oftentimes horrific situations that we deal with in the trenches of rescue. And I understand that. We choose to walk this journey, others don’t make that choice. They choose instead to support our mission and our work. They know the work we do without it needing to be put in front of them. Part of it is also a time issue. When you’re in the shelter 6 days a week, and everyday brings new surprises and challenges, it’s hard to find the time to stop and write social media posts. Prime example is how late it is right now. Lucky are those who have social media teams who clearly have all that figured out.
Out of anger and hurt yesterday, I threw up a very short post on my own page about this sad situation. That post somehow garnered a lot of attention and exposure, and since then, we have had so many people to reach out with concern for this sweet family. Many wanting to know what they can do to help, many wanting to know how the babies and Mom are doing, where they are, etc. So I know we need to update with that info. For anyone who missed this family’s story, here you go.
Yesterday, on the way to the shelter, I saw a crate with a dog in it, just on the edge of the road. The crate door was open, but the dog was inside. I had only seconds to even see the crate, and the dog that was in it, but the expression on that dog’s face was one I’ll never forget. Finding a dumped dog in a crate, very sadly, is neither shocking nor rare here in the South. It is, however, always hard to see and harder to process that any human could do that to an innocent dog. In the short time that it took me to quickly get turned around and go back, I watched three cars ride right by that baby, not a single one stopped. No brake lights, not one person seemed to even notice. I guess that shouldn’t have been shocking, either.
I thought I would hop out and just scoop that pup out and get him into my truck to safety. Little did I know until I walked up to the crate, that pup was a brand new Mom who had just given birth to the eight tiny puppies in the crate with her, one of which was already deceased before I got there. All I could do was close the door to the crate and wait for Christina to come and help me load the crate. And try to explain to that traumatized new mom that we only wanted to help. Honestly, I was just so grateful that a horrible human didn’t grab that crate up before I found them.
We got them loaded and took them back to the shelter with us. I think we all had a ‘What just happened’ moment, but staff quickly revamped and readjusted the front offices and set up a quiet room for her and her little family to stay in for however long is needed. Meanwhile, one of our fabulous fosters was lightning quick to say yes to fostering them when they are ready to go. By the end of the night, our beautiful family already had commitment to go North to one of our much loved partners when they are ready. This party of 8 will most certainly get out of the South and the mentality that somehow thought that abandoning them in a crate on the side of the road was okay. I would agree with others who believe it is a cultural issue and lack of education, but these eight right here will not pay the price for that. Not again. We won’t even risk it.
Our new family is doing well. The babies are 3-4 days old. This girl is one of the best moms ever. The puppies are pretty robust and seem healthy, and they nurse almost constantly. When not nursing, they are in complete milk comas! Mom is a little slow to trust, understandably, but when she does trust you, she is the sweetest soul. She just needs a little time to decompress and get a little more comfortable and trusting of strangers before we load them up to go to foster. And rest, Mom is exhausted and enjoying lots of quiet naps. She’s been through a lot, it’s heartbreaking to think of the things that must have gone through her head. And through it all, she had one mission which was to protect and care for her little babies. For all those who have asked, they are all doing very well, and we have high hopes that will continue to be the case. We are moving very slowly with Mom, as the last thing we want or need is seven little babies who are dependent upon bottles for feeding.
Thank you for reaching out, thank you for caring, thank you for helping us with them. In all honesty, complete vetting for all 8, to include spay/neuter BEFORE they go anywhere, keeping them on quality puppy food starting in a few short weeks and Mom now, and if the odds we typically see hold true with this sweet Mom, she will likely require HW treatment when her mothering days are done… all those things will come with no small expense. As hard as it is to ask for help, I know we need to do that.
For the many donors who do not like to give through Facebook, you can still PayPal to [email protected]. There is the donate button on our website at carams.org. Mailing address is:
CARA
PO Box 231
Clinton, Ms 39060
Also, we always love to see familiar faces and meet new donors in person at the shelter during regular hours of 12-5, Monday-Saturday. Thank you for making us what we are and for enabling us to work for these precious throwaway babies. They are worth every penny and every effort that will go into caring for them until we can see them off to bright and happy futures.
I’ve said for years and I still stand by it, even more so now with the current animal crisis we are seeing statewide… SPAY/NEUTER IS THE ONLY ANSWER. WE CANNOT ADOPT, TRANSPORT, NOR HOUSE OUR WAY OUT OF THIS CRISIS! THERE ARE NO MORE TEMPORARY FIXES.
