Friday, June 5, 2009

A Volunteer Means the World to a Homeless Pup

Here is a story I received from Tammy of Cutsie Poochie who began her journey in knitting and crochet and then to sewing animal ware because of her half bald chihuahua.


This is Tammy of Cutsie Poochie. I started Cutstie Poochie when I got my chihuahua Batboy because he was half-bald and it was mid-winter. So I started crocheting and knitting little things, which led to more little things, then to sewing, and well, it just became a passion.


I began volunteering with my kids at our local animal shelter about six weeks after we got our chihuahua. It was the most awesome, heart-wrenching, and rewarding thing we had ever done. Every Saturday, we would put on our old clothes and go down to the shelter armed with biscuits, bags of food, and big smiles, and walked the dogs. We would play with the cats in their little room and pet and love them. Some got to be very special to us and it was a huge reward when they were adopted.


About a month ago our shelter stopped allowing volunteers to come in because a person was bitten. This person was also a volunteer and had signed a release agreement, but had somehow been able to take the county to court. So our life hit a huge snag. The day we found out, we walked the cages and visited with our friends behind bars. The ones that knew that we had been there every Saturday barked and jumped and panted, knowing they were about to get out! We petted them and talked to them through the cage doors and then had to move on. They just stood there and watched us go, not understanding why they weren't being let out. Some barked louder, some howled. It was probably the worst thing that had happened the entire time we had been working with them.




I didn't write this to dissuade anyone from volunteering! I wrote this to let everyone know that it is a job worth doing. You may not think that the animals recognize it or know it, but they do. Volunteers makes such a difference in their lives. They know that they are still valued, still loved, and still needed. It keeps them from getting depressed and helps them be happy so they can be adopted. People don't adopt sad dogs and cats.

So, do all that you can, no matter the cost. We are trying to find another organization to work with and will be ecstatic when we do. In the meantime, we're working our fingers to the bone and doing all we can in other areas of pet rescue.

Buy from someone that is donating to animal charities. A little goes a long way!






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Tammy of Cutsie Poochie donates a portion of all proceeds from her sales go to their local animal shelter and pet rescue organizations. Tammy's gang features some of the pets available for adoption and invites you to take a new friend into your home. You can follow their adventures by going to our Cutsie Poochie blog site. You can visit the Effingham County Animal Control Shelter at 307 Hwy 119 South in Springfield, GA or call them at 912-754-2109. The map above gives directions. Keep your cursor on the picture for a description of each pet. Scroll down for some videos and check out our channel on YouTube for great videos of the adventures we have.







2 comments:

Mishkat said...

Thanks to Tammy and her children for doing this! I'm sorry that they can't do it anymore (maybe the county needs a better release form!) - but it's so nice to see how much they care for animals.

Tammy said...

Just heard yesterday that the county may have opened up their volunteer area again! I am soooo very happy. Will know by Monday. That means new pics and new purpose. Praying for those adoptions to take place, too!