Jessamine County Kentucky SAVE Center /Animal Shelter Urgently Needs Help...Please Read.
Today this email made it's way to me from Jenise Smith.
I wanted to post it here in my blog where so many read my stories to see if you may want to adopt a sweet pet or donate after hearing their heartfelt story.
Lizette
Please forward this post on...
I wanted to take a moment of your time to tell you about me and my shelter, The Jessamine County SAVE Center. SAVE stands for shelter, adopt, volunteer and educate. If you have a minute to look at our website, it will tell you a little more about our group.
Several years ago at Christmas,I thought it would be a good learning/giving experience for my children to give something back by rescuing a puppy from a rural KY shelter, vetting it and adopting it out thru a rescue.
Well, one puppy turned into two puppies. (we couldn't leave the poor litter mate, freezing in a shelter in December--oh and they both had terrible cases of mange)
We nursed both pups back to health, adopted them out thru the rescue and decided it was too rewarding and too much fun to quit. After several years of rescue work and volunteering at another rural shelter (Lincoln County), the opportunity came up to run a shelter!
Finally, I wouldn't have to guess when the director was calling the vet! Finally, I could hold dogs for rescue! And I would actually be getting paid for doing something I felt passionate about!
Well, I've found that even at 46 years old (ugh), I can still learn new things about life and about myself. What I didn't count on was the level of responsibility that I feel for this little rural shelter. This little shelter is an older county building with 29 runs and 9 outdoor kennels. Some of the outside kennels are very small and shouldn't hold anything bigger than a Chihuahua, but you can't leave those outside, so you can guess who gets stuck in the little outdoor kennels.
I've found I feel very protective of this shelter--similar to how I feel about my children. I always need to be there and be watching over things. And, I'm these dogs and cats last chance. It's a case of " the buck stops here". As for the added bonus of a paycheck, that's kind of humorous.
First off, shelter work doesn't pay well.And, you end up buying this little Chihuahua a sweater, or the Doxie with mange needed a coat.
And then there's the sick one that the SAVE Center can't afford to hospitalize, but if you buy the meds and take them home, there's always a chance, or if you just treat this eye infection, you're sure someone will come along for that dog, etc.
Last month we received a stray that I named Emaciated Emma. She has really touched my heart. She came in with soulful eyes that just seemed to say, "I've given up". She was a bag of bones with fur and she was not a young dog. Of course no one claimed her and it was suggested that the kindest thing would be to euthanize her. However, I'm stubborn and a sucker for the underdog.I started going back to the shelter in the evening and feeding her canned food. It quickly became a routine and anytime Emma saw me, she would come trotting to the gate, expecting her canned food. Unfortunately, no one gave my sweet Emma a second glance.
It was again suggested that since we were getting very crowded, we likely had to start making choices.. The newspaper has been good to us and has allowed us to publish a cat and dog of the week.
Emma was quickly submitted as the dog of the week because of course you can't euthanize the dog of the week!! Emma is still there and I'm still very protective and hopeful that there is someone out there for her. She's starting to fill in a little now, and I'm convinced that there isn't the same look in her eyes. The hopeless and downtrodden look is gone.Maybe her hope is just that I'm bringing her special meal of canned food, but at least it's some hope.
I know that there are many rural shelters in Kentucky and other places that are just as crowded. But, they're not mine. It's my shelter that when I go home at night and after the house is quiet, contemplate what I could do to save one more dog or one more cat. Or, what I could do to make this dog more adoptable, or wonder why more of my wonderful dogs and cats aren't getting adopted or rescued.
Almost every day, people come in and tell me they can't afford to care for their dog or cat any longer. Or they're getting divorced and have nowhere to place the dog or cat. I get what information I can from them and reassure them that I will do my best to rehome their dog or cat. And then it's one more trip to the kennels to try and find a spot for the latest intake.
Frequently, they're trembling in fear and my heart breaks because that must be a horrifying experience to be taken from the human that they know, and carried off by someone they've never seen.
They are carried down a hallway of dogs that have a collectively deafening bark. I whisper to them that it will be okay--not knowing if that is really true or if overcrowding will force me to usher them into a room so that their life can quickly slip away.
I have always been a "do it myself" person. I struggle with asking for help of any kind- from asking a friend to babysit so that I can go to a Dr's appt., to asking for help with any project to asking for help for my shelter. In many ways this has been a growing experience for me.
I know I can't bring every dog and cat home with me, and I'm not going to get them all adopted locally, so I am forced to ask for help.
In my determination to protect and save these babies, I'm forced to knock on rescue doors and ask if they have room for any of my babies.
I'm forced to ask for donations so that we can continue to feed our full house,and provide the necessary care so that they stay healthy and adoptable. If it were a one time thing, it would be easier. But I know as soon as I send off one or two and breath a sigh of relief and gratitude, two or three more will come thru the door. Yesterday, I sent out two, and took in six.
So, unfortunately, I'm not saying I just need your help one time. I'm saying, please consider helping my shelter babies today and please consider helping again when you are able.
I have some wonderful animals at the shelter. I am so proud of their loving and friendly personalities. I have some that have been there since before I took over the shelter in September. The previous group didn't leave me any information, so I hate to think how long they've been there. There is Grayson, the gorgeous Shepherd/Setter or Retriever mix. He's been such a good and patient boy. http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12082369
Then, there is Janis Joplin. She is a doll, but she's a black dog and of course overlooked. Never mind that she's as sweet as can be and knows a few basic commands, has been around children and is probably housebroken. http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12305612
Long Timer is exactly that. He's been there longer than I have. He's not a black dog, but he's clearly part Pit, which is just as much of a strike against him. Most of the public has written him off as "one of those aggressive breeds". And the rest seem to have overlooked him for the puppies, and purse dogs. I can tell visitors that he's happy and friendly, and has huge expressive ears, but usually they smile, nod and keep going. I slip him a biscuit and tell him I'm sorry. Maybe the next person will be the right one for him. http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12297381
There's Tolstoy's Champ, a purebred Husky. He's majestic and stunning, but still sitting at the shelter. He came in as an owner surrender, tethered with an electric cord. The owner first came into the office telling me she wanted to get rid of her son's dog. Her son had moved away and wouldn't take the dog and she didn't want him. I glanced out the window to see what I was getting.
I could see into her truck and saw a young boy smacking a Husky with the end of a cord or rope.I was stunned for a second and witnessed the Husky's reaction. He just sat there and tolerated it. It was a young child and maybe with his dense coat, it wasn't painful but must have at least been very annoying. And still he calmly sat there.
I quickly rushed outside to get him and was shocked to see that it wasn't even a rope but an electric cord. This gentle giant was eager to go with me. But, still he sits at the shelter. He does get noticed and I hear comments about what a pretty dog, but no one has wanted him. http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12306251
This is just the tip of the shelter iceberg. I have close to 50 dogs and 75 cats. So, I'm asking if you will please consider at least one of my babies.
I understand that many of you canʼt take in a dog or cat. Please consider donating to the shelter.
If there is a specific animal that tugs at your heart, then donate in their honor. If youʼve lost your beloved pet and youʼre not ready to take that step of adopting again, please consider donating in your petʼs memory.
And everyone can take a second and forward my story to a friend, co-worker, neighbor, relative. Even that is a big help.
Rescues: Transportation is available, pull fees do not exist. The vets we work with are awesome and have extremely reasonable prices on vet work.
If you are part of a rescue, I am very eager to work with rescues and would be thrilled if we could work together to save some lives.
If you have questions or can help some of our animals, please email Jenise at smithszoo62@yahoo.com (yahoo.com) I will answer as quickly as possible.
To look at the animals I've got posted, see our website: www.jessaminecountysavecenter.comI wish I could tell you I have them all posted, but that's not the case. As we were closing today, someone surrendered a PB Cocker. A couple of JRT mixes came in earlier and I know there are others.
I thank you for taking the time to read about my shelter and hope that you will find some space to help some of my animals by adopting, rescuing or consider donating to feed and vet our animals.
Jenise Smith
Jessamine County SAVE Center
Additional Information on helping Kentucky's Shelters... http://www.kycentral.org/
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