Every week our Director and Assistant Director visit the area animal controls to rescue dogs and cats in need, and sadly, every week it’s the same thing: the animal controls are full. Due to our rural location, each animal control covers approximately 350 square miles. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of ground to cover! To complicate matters, many areas are economically depressed, and the animals we come across are often in desperate need of care. Our goal is always: no one left behind.
The Southside SPCA does not pick and choose based on medical needs or age. We do not perform any on-site medical testing or screening prior to pulling an animal. Unfortunately not all rescue organizations follow the same protocol and some animals are left behind. At the Southside SPCA we save as many dogs and cats from euthanizing animal controls as our resources allow, regardless of health or age.
One such dog was Penny. When we found her in one of the euthanizing animal controls, we were compelled to help. Not only did she have hair loss over half of her body caused by demodectic (non-contagious) mange and severe flea infestations, she was also very malnourished. She was nothing less than pitiful.
Willow is another dog that was rescued from a euthanizing animal control. This gorgeous and friendly Collie mix appeared to be an “easy adoption”, but of course that was not to be. Our veterinarian discovered that Willow was heartworm positive, a diagnosis that is unfortunately all too common in our service area. The treatment is costly and can take months of post-care at our shelter. It puts additional demands on our staff and resources, but of course Willow is well worth it!
Then there are those you come across that just steal your heart. Dogs like O’Henry that are thrown away, tossed aside, and forgotten. Their only crime is being a senior. We know they will require more care and often times they have underlying conditions that need to be treated. But, could we really say no? Could we look into their eyes and tell them yet another person was giving up on them? Of course not. It may be harder to place these older animals, but we will find them a home where they will be treasured family members.
While these rescues put a strain on our budget, and medical care is always our greatest expense, we simply can’t turn our backs on those in need. It means that we won’t be able to adopt them right out and that more time will be spent rehabilitating them. But we can see the diamond in the rough…and if we don’t save them, who will?
Your donations will help us to continue our mission of saving dogs and cats, regardless of their age or medical needs.