独家优惠奖金 100% 高达 1 BTC + 180 免费旋转

Not Just an Old Dog

Stray animal population is on the uprise in the south, so devout animal lovers are opening their homes to a new form of foster care.

Being a pet in America is a pretty plum gig. Some owners see their pet as a member of the family, some throw birthday parties, and some even buy presents. Likewise, it’s a two way street; there are emotional and physical health benefits from owning a four-legged fur friend.

Establishing these life-long relationships can be tricky. Especially for a college student wanting a loyal companion, they know they cannot bring their precious pooch home from school.

Foster animal programs for students is a nice alternative to the commitment of adopting, but for the fostered animals they receive a better quality of life.

There is a massive influx of stray animals in the south. The rural towns of north Mississippi have high numbers of stray cats and dogs, with no regulated facility other than a run-down pound.

“This area is very rural” said Yvonne Taylor, founder of North Mississippi Animal Rescue. “With a ‘it’s just an old dog’ mentality.”

“It’ll break your heart when you see puppies cannibalism one of their siblings just to survive,” said Taylor.

The shelterless rescue does not have a facility, so animals are housed in foster homes including the Kibbler Cottage.

Nestled off a brown road, barley broken by the faded yellow lines, sits a little white cottage built in 1910.

NMAR is a smaller non-for-profit organization currently aiding nine dogs.

Once a dog is initially rescued, it is evaluated, vaccinated, and neutered, if not in critical need for additional medical attention.

“If you’re in the rescue business to make money, you’re in the wrong business,” said Taylor.

It typically costs upwards of $400 to neuter and vaccinate one dog. The high prices result in many animals not being spaded/ neutered. That leads to the issue: overpopulation.

The neighboring town of Water Valley, Mississippi (Yalobusha County), another rescue organization, was developed based off need.

A SCAA board member shared a problem going around town that the animals were “only being kept in the shelter for five days before being euthanized,” said Smith. “They weren’t being properly taken care of, and they weren’t being advertised.”

The Facebook posts that circulated the feed of Water Valley’s animal lovers sparked motivation for change. A group of six hometown friends have worked with the city to move the dogs out of the shelter and into loving homes since 2014.

SCAA now has a contract with the city and Yalobusha County that if any dog is picked up by local dog catcher, Second Chance assumes responsibility for that animal.

“It’s a 24-hour / 365 days-a-year job,” said Smith. “All of us work separate jobs, and a lot of the time we pull money out of our own checkbooks to be able to fund Second Chance.”

Second Chance Animal Alliance is a non-for-profit organization funded by private donation.

“We make a decision based on what is best for an animal that is in our care,” said Smith.

Once a dog is in their care, it is immediately evaluated and advertised, but if no one claims the dog it is placed in the right environment of either a shelter setting, foster home, or transport.

Animals fit for a shelter setting are those needing to socialize with other animals that can be adopted out.

“When we know a dog needs to go on transport is when we know a dog is not adoptable here,” said Smith. “ We have a huge influx of Pitbull mixes, and in the south it is hard to adopt those dogs out because of the negativity that follows behind them.”

Smith explained how people are also scared to adopt senior dogs. A “senior dog” ranges from 7–8 years old.

“We all know a dog lives longer than 8 years old,” said Smith.

Litters of puppies and kittens are of the most to be abandoned.

“Puppies systems can break down so quickly in a shelter setting, so we immediately find a foster home for them,” said Smith.

Colleen Chauncey is a senior music major at the University of Mississippi, and has fostered over 16 puppies and kittens this year alone.

“It’s easier if you take two,” said Chauncey. “People think that would be more stressful, but they entertain each other and they aren’t used to being separated.”

Chauncey recently fostered four 10-day-old kittens for four weeks.

“I had to bottle feed them every two to three hours,” said Chauncey. “They need the calories to get stronger. I even added in sugar to the formula for the kittens who weren’t eating.”

After two weeks, one of the four kittens died from Fading Kitten Syndrome.

“It can happen with any kitten if it doesn’t have mom for long enough. They get lethargic and they wont eat or don’t want to stay with the other kittens,” said Chauncey. “It was definitely one the hardest goodbyes, but I had three other kittens needing me.”

Fosters live in home for a duration of two to four weeks. Food, veterinary visits and any additional costs are paid for by the rescue organizations.

Chauncey has fostered with Second Chance Animal Alliance and Mississippi Mutts.

“Ellie was my first foster and I told myself I wasn’t going to get attached,” said Chauncey. “After many trips to the park and walks on the square I thought ‘wow, I want this all the time.’”

Chauncey knew Ellie would have a better life in the north.

“They always say your hardest foster is your first one, but since we transport to the north it is easy to stay in touch with where they go,” said Chauncey.

Ellie’s new life in Virginia is followed though social media posts.

The northern states enforce stricter animal control regulations causing a higher demand for pets.

“There’s less than an over population problem there and more of a spay and neuter regulations,” said Katie Muldoon, co-president for Mississippi Mutts. “They don’t have very many puppies or kittens in their shelters, so they’re much easier to adopt there.”

These rescues will sell with adoption fees upwards of $400.

“Their quality of life there cannot compare to the life here,” said Muldoon. “It is an honor to own a Mississippi rescue dog.”

Transports to the north happen every other Saturday where a foster has a home waiting or an adoption event the next day.

Add a comment

What is your view?

Send

Related posts:

How to organize your projects

When you begin a project, the desire is strong to keep your precious, fresh-from-the-template solution forever neat and tidy.. But, as far as tutorials go, the authors throw organization to the wind…

How to redesign your mind for overcoming adversities

Over the years I have worked on training the mind to overcome adversities and to improve it every day. I have designed a high-performance system composed of four critical factors. Here I share my…

The Jan Sebastian Light Roast

When I saw Jan Sebastian’s cheeky tribute to Medium’s highlightin-est member, I knew I had to join the fun. Jan celebrated David Perlmutter’s habit of reading everything uncannily soon after…