A Day In The Life Of Rescue... When Our Very Best Effort Just Wasnt Enough.... I wish this had a happier ending. I think those of you that know me on a personal level, will understand the overwhelming heartache that I am feeling tonight. Some days in rescue dont always go as planned. And this has proven to be one of those days. Not only were we dealing with the brutal wind and cold, we were dealing with a homeless dog that had never felt the touch of a human hand. My phone was relentless today. Ringing every 5 minutes, about dogs in peril at every corner. We were working frantically to prepare our own shelter animals for the brutal weather we are facing over the next several days. And then I got the one call that stopped me in my tracks. A homeless mama dog had dug a hole at the side of a building and delivered her babies on the cold, hard ground. No shelter of any kind protecting her or her babies from the winter freeze approaching. To make it even more difficult, the plea came from a small Delta town south of Tunica, where there is absolutely no one to contact in situations like this. Hovering at the side of a building, shielding her puppies from the brutal cold, was a homeless dog. And no one came to her aid. For us, it was no question. We made the drive to Tutwiller, Mississippi to try and rescue this little family. I went on ahead to Tutwiller, while Melissa and Jackie finished up at our shelter. When I arrived, I drove around to the back of the building and there she was. Right where the ladies from the clinic said she would be. This small brown dog, curled up on the frozen ground with her tiny puppies nursing away. I got out of my car and sat on the ground at a distance, softly talking to the mama dog, praying all the while, that she would trust me. But as soon as I made the slightest move toward her, she bolted from her babies. As she ran down the street, I quickly placed the 9 puppies in my warm car. Their tiny bodies were so cold, it instantly broke my heart. I spent the next hour tracking the mama dog on foot, from one end of that small town to the other. But she kept circling back to the side of the building where she had left her puppies. Behind the building is an old Storm Cellar. The door was slightly cracked and I thought if I could get her to go inside that structure, I might stand a chance of capturing her. As hard as it was, I took 3 of her little puppies from the warmth of my car, and placed them in the cellar. Within a few minutes, she heard their cries and she went inside and I shut the door. It was pitch dark inside but I found a young man off the street to help me so that I could leave a crack in the door for light. I made a couple of attempts to get her but she chewed thru 2 leads within a matter of seconds. She was very aggressive when you approached her but I knew she was just afraid. I made the decision to let her simmer down for a few minutes until Melissa and Jackie arrived. When they arrived, we attempted to back the mama dog into the corner of the storm cellar and force her into a kennel. She was very agitated and refused to go in. And then suddenly, she bolted over the top and out the door before we could do anything. By that time it was getting dark and she disappeared down the street again. We looked for her until dark, and then we had to make the gut wrenching decision to leave her behind. It became increasingly urgent to get the puppies where they could be fed and we couldnt leave them behind in the freezing cold. I cried all the way back to Tunica. I am still crying. The only comfort I have is knowing that those tiny puppies would not have survived on the cold, frozen ground much longer. And we left behind a mama dog that has proven she is a survivor, in a town where she goes unnoticed. On a happier note, I think we met an angel right before we drove away. A man pulled up to his modest house and he asked what we were looking for. He knew the mama dog. He feeds her from time to time. He could see my tears and feel our hearts and he told me not to worry. He told me he was off work the next couple of days and he would catch the mama dog for us and call me. I even offered to pay him money and he said it wasnt necessary. He looked in my car and he said, he was doing it for those little babies. And I believe with all my heart that he will....
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:58:17 +0000
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