During our Animal Care Network travels, we visit some addresses that really take a lot of work, time and patience to make a difference.
These addresses can be very frustrating, but this is when the entire volunteer team jumps in to make a difference and better the situation for the animals.
Here is one of those stories of a work in progress and a huge team effort.
First comes discovering the address during a drive by, noticing a few dogs in the yard, hidden by many vehicles and putting the address on “the list”, that never ending list.
Team Marie makes the initial visit and finds four adult dogs AND a litter of puppies and the dialogue begins. Three female dogs, one male dog and seven puppies that Marie valiantly fights for. The owners plan was to take the puppies to Detroit to give to “friends and family”. The best deal she could make the owner agree to was ACN comes back in a week and if there are any puppies left we will again try to get them. The yard is pure mud,two dogs are chained to sheds.
They provide some straw, food and water and put the address back on this list. There is also a language barrier at this address.
Team Kathy and Heather stop back, no one home, puppies running around yard, it is cold out.
Team Pam stops back and talks the owner out of two of the puppies, but the rest are spoken for. It was like pulling teeth to get these two. A serious conversation about spay
neuter takes place. Free spay neuter and vaccines are offered for the adults. Owner is not too receptive about this.
Team Sue stops back with a little incentive for the owner and gets four more puppies, but they are keeping the last one for themselves. All six puppies are taken to Michigan Animal Rescue League, they are hungry, cold and dehydrated.
Team Pam calls owner and discusses spay and neuter for all four adult dogs and owner agrees, or so she thought.
Appointment is made and Pam shows up at 6:00 am to pick up the four dogs and take them to the vet. The owner changes his mind and says “he needs more puppies”. Pam
is not happy at all and a heated conversation follows.
Pam ends up leaving with one female dog and the male dog to be fixed, but the owner WILL NOT agree to the other two females. Both dogs go to All About Animals to be fixed and spend the night.
It is not easy to return animals to a outdoor situation like this, but unfortunately we have to do it. We decide to give the owner two brand new doghouses for the two dogs that are fixed, maybe some incentive to get the other
two dogs done, we will not give up.
Team Ken and Megan load up the doghouses, 4 bales of straw, big food and water bowls and meet at the address.
We fill up the sheds and the doghouses with straw, put straw down to soak up the nasty mud, fill up big food bowls and fresh water for all the dogs. And we talk and talk and talk
to the owner about taking care of these dogs. And we educate the owner about taking care of these dogs.
Sad as it sounds, the two dogs that spent the night at the vet were extremely happy to be home and ran out of the van to greet their owner, as faithful and loyal as they can be! We encourage the owner to keep these two dogs in the house for a week or two, but we know that may not happen.
By the time the team leaves, all the dogs are happier, dryer, less muddy and have full bellies. Also half the street is over watching us work and asking us questions about their dogs.
The owner is told that we will persist on spaying the other two dogs and we will be back to follow up and check on the two dogs that were fixed.
They will be bringing the remaining dogs and puppy to the vaccine clinic and all the neighbors and family members will be bringing their dogs and cats as well.
As we said, we are not done here, this is a work in progress!