I often hear shelter directors say the way we fix this problem of so many unwanted dogs and the resultant neglect and cruelty is with the next generation. Well, on our last shelter tour, we had the opportunity to see it in action. At Felix Varela High School in Miami Florida, a remarkable woman named…
As we walked up the drive alongside the ring where a gleaming dark bay horse cantered like a metronome, my worlds collided. Having spent fifty years loving horses, many of those years riding, teaching, and training them, today was a special treat. Before they ever became rescue heroes and movie stars, Danny and Ron were…
There’s a great energy at Furry Friends and their new director, Jason, (on the job 44 days when we visited) exudes a contagious positivity. The building is bright and airy and…fun. From the lobby we watched as cats ascended the tower between the first and second floors. 40 cats live in this ‘free range’ space…
One extraordinary woman not just rescuing the toughest cases but working to change laws in Georgia. @PawsFureverHome #Tifton #Georgia
Intentional shelter practices can make all the difference in the world for the dogs and for the community. @HumaneSocietyofBlueRidge
One little animal control shelter doing the best they can in a rural county in Georgia and proving that saving dogs, even with limited resources, is possible.
After visiting nearly 80 shelters and rescues, I can tell a lot about a shelter just by walking through their kennels. At Gaston County Animal Care and Enforcement, it’s pretty peaceful in their kennel rooms….
After nearly two weeks in Georgia and Florida (with one quick stop in NC), we are home and I’m sifting through all that we learned. The chorus of too many dogs and not enough adopters, resources, or rescues were variations on the same theme. Just like other trips, we met heroic rescue coordinators, shelter directors,…
Okay, let’s talk about something that’s super uncomfortable for me…. Money. I try hard to keep it in perspective. When my husband and I have to spend large sums of money on something truly un-fun or unexpected but necessary like a car or home repair, or we make a stupid mistake and waste money, or…
The smell is familiar to me now, but that hot August day in 2018 it overwhelmed my senses. The mix of disinfectant, urine, feces, mildew, and desperation was powerful, made even more so by the heat. Shelters, even the good ones, I’ve come to understand, have the same smell. I recognized it that first time…
