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Rescue Me
by Linda
Kotzian Two Country Lines 2009 Volunteer of the Year nominees create ‘Happy Tails.’ Two-year old Toad was left by the roadside, so dirty and matted that he had open sores.
Five-year old Chester was discovered lying in a yard with his leg
shattered from a shotgun blast. Lucky for Toad and Chester, there are people like Pauline Hancock of Atlanta, MI, and Sandy Bassett of Caro. With other dedicated volunteers, they care for thousands of unwanted and injured pets while seeking “forever homes” for them.
Elk Country Animal Shelter In fall 2002, Pauline Hancock, a Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op member, held a meeting with fellow citizens and started a volunteer group called the Elk Country Animal Shelter (ECAS). The volunteers helped at the shelter with cleaning, vaccinations and promoting adoptions.
Through strictly volunteer efforts, Pauline explains, “they created something from nothing with only their hearts, brains and hands.” About 30 volunteers now work at the shelter, and many more help with fundraising. As executive director, Pauline also sits on the board of directors, and her husband Dave chairs the building committee. Since opening, the new shelter has already accepted 206 dogs, 131 cats, and five other animals, including a pet rat named Stuart. So far, 78 dogs, 88 cats, and all the other animals, including Stuart, have been adopted. “We’re good at what we do,” Pauline explains. ECAS provides vaccinations, worming, and basic care. Local veterinarians volunteer to provide rabies vaccines, microchip all the animals, and spay or neuter them at no charge before they are adopted. Pauline describes Montmorency County as one of the poorest in Michigan. “But that doesn’t stop the help from coming to us,” she adds, and is grateful for that. Pauline first rescued a litter of barn kittens when she was 12. “I loved animals even when I was little and always thought it was an honor to be liked by them,” she says. Cathy Hehir, a fellow volunteer who adopted a golden retriever says, “Pauline is a tiny powerhouse of a woman who knows how to relate to animals, even injured and frightened ones. She’s our own little ‘dog whisperer.’” Pauline acknowledges how difficult it is to see animals in pain and afraid, but the breakthrough can be as simple as a friendly lick on the hand, and the work can also bring unexpected smiles. While she and Dave were bathing a rabbit named Emily, they noticed what appeared to be two tumors on the animal’s underside. It turns out they weren’t tumors, and Emily was renamed Elmer. Pauline and Dave adopted Elmer, plus three dogs, a cockatiel, and three cats, and she still says the best part of their work is seeing an animal placed in a “forever home.” It benefits the animal and enriches the life of the person who adopts.
Cass River Pet Friendz As an adult, she took early retirement and began a “critter sitter” business in Caro. But people began bringing her strays, and so she started trying to find homes for them, too. By 2001, Sandy and a group of volunteers started a rescue operation called Cass River Pet Friendz. Unlike most shelters, rescue organization volunteers generally care for animals in their own homes. At Pet Friendz, just five people care for the animals, handle paperwork, and hold fundraisers. Since 2001, Sandy has cycled over 1,842 animals through her home, and adopted two shih tzus, Charley and Marley. Since cats reproduce in large numbers if not fixed, they are the largest challenge in time and expenses. With an unemployment rate of 17 percent locally, Sandy worries about the group’s revenues. “Money is down and calls for assistance are way up,” she reports. Grants subsidize local fundraising, but they often come earmarked for spaying and neutering, so Sandy hesitates to label the group as a “no kill” refuge. “We have to make hard choices that can result in euthanasia if an animal is vicious or not trainable,” she explains. “We try to do the best thing for the animal, but there are many sleepless nights. “No one except those who work with her understand the sacrifices Sandy has made to follow her heart with this endeavor,” says Susan Green, a fellow volunteer. Cindy Fox, who’s miniature Schnauzer, Sully, is a steady customer of Sandy’s pet day care, became a Pet Friendz volunteer out of admiration for Sandy. Eight years ago, Cindy brought a grimy dog to Sandy after finding him running loose. When Cindy visited a few days later, a beautifully groomed dog greeted her—it was Sully, and she adopted him. As for Toad and Chester… A truck driving couple adopted Toad after Sandy transformed him from a mass of tangled fur into a beautiful shih tzu. They bring Toad to visit her when they pass through. Chester’s leg was amputated, and the Hancocks adopted him. Pauline says the Lab-mix dog “can run like crazy” even with just three legs. To Pauline and Sandy, the best happy endings come with tails.
Donkeys Need Friends, Too Sharon Windsor is the founder of Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue, where she currently shelters nearly 70 of all types on her farm near Dansville. With a few volunteers to help, she finds homes for about 20-25 per year. Why? “Because they are the most loving, intelligent, fun, and given enough time and patience, the most forgiving of any creature I have ever met,” she explains. Donkeys are very intelligent, she says, and due to their cautious, not stubborn, nature they cannot be forced to do anything they feel is unsafe. “One of the most loving donkeys here was the victim of a shooting,” Windsor adds, and another was so abused her only defense was to kick at anyone who came near because she was too lame to run away from her tormenters. Others were loved pets, but due to an owner’s ill health or death they needed new homes. Still others come from auctions, a law enforcement seizure, or from people that never should have gotten a donkey in the first place. If you have a donkey(s) you want to surrender, Turning Pointe is happy to welcome your animal and find it a new home. If adopting a donkey just doesn’t work, sponsoring one with a donation makes a unique gift for an animal lover, who will be sent regular news and pictures of their rescued donkey. Contact Sharon Windsor, as noted in the box below. Gail Knudtson
Elk Country Animal Shelter, Atlanta
Cass River Pet Friendz, Caro
Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue
Adoption/Find a Shelter/Your Area: |
In
April 2009, ECAS opened its own facility after volunteers raised
enough funds to renovate a building next to the Sheriff’s
Department.
All My Best Friends Have Long Ears!
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2005 Turning Pointe Donkey Rescue
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