As I write this article, it’s been yet another long and busy day of saving abandoned dogs and cats, while feeling miserable with a bad cold. Instead of taking time off to rest, I coordinated the rescue of a mother dog, Abbey, and her four newborn pups from a shelter; a mother cat and her kitten; and four abandoned three-week-old kittens from a field.
I guess you could say that as head of Furry Friends Rescue (FFR) I’m very passionate about our mission of saving canine and feline lives.
Fortunately, so are the 200 FFR volunteers in Northern California who devote their time, funds, and energy to the cause. Thanks to our team of dedicated volunteers and foster homes, we have saved thousands of furry lives in our 13-year history, finding forever homes for wonderful animals in need. It truly does take a village!
On a typical day, FFR receives dozens of phone calls and more than a hundred emails from animal shelters and members of the public. The other volunteers and I manage to make time for trips to the animal shelters to evaluate dogs, pups, cats, and kittens; transporting various critters to our vet clinic, VCA All About Pets Animal Hospital in Union City or other vet offices; taking photos to post on the website; gathering supplies; performing home visits; and running weekend adoption showcases. And this is certainly not a complete list…
The rescue world needs dedicated volunteers now more than ever. Due to a variety of causes, animal shelters are tremendously overcrowded. Most dogs, pups, cats, and kittens in shelters are healthy and adoptable, but they quickly run out of time as shelter residents. Many other animals need special medical care, are under-age, or need emotional rehab in loving homes to regain their confidence.
In short, the need is great and never lets up, so there is no such thing as “enough” volunteers. The more people sign on to help our organization, or any other rescue group, the more lives can be saved.
There are lots of success stories that keep us motivated and moving forward. We rescue many mothers and babies, like Snowflake, a Terrier/Chihuahua mix, and her two pups, Blitzen & Rudolph. The babies both needed vet care for dry-eye, and one of Blitzen’s eyes had to be removed. His remaining eye needed Entropian surgery. The total cost to FFR was over $3000, but now little Blitzen has healed up nicely.
Some of the dogs we rescue are senior dogs, like Kellie, a nine-year-old Elkhound/Chow Chow mix who deserves a good home for her golden years. She has two huge tumors that need to be removed, so fundraising is another essential part of what we do. [Ed. Note: Meet these ready-for-adoption dogs in the “Doggie in the Window” area below.]
Furry Friends Rescue has been involved in over 12,000 dog and cat rescues since our launch in November 1998. In addition to our more direct services, we help over 2l shelters by posting their urgent dogs and cats on our website daily to help bring more visibility to these animals that have limited time left (our website gets about 550 hits per day).
For the ones that don’t get adopted in time, or who need extra medical or emotional care, we network out the plea for help or rescue the ones we can, including dogs and cats of all ages (mothers with pups or kittens, bottle babies, seniors), breed types, victims of neglect/abuse, and those with special medical and emotional needs.
Over the years, FFR has been the last resort for countless dogs and cats, many of whom are not only abandoned, but sick, neglected, abused, or injured, as well. These special animals, like little Blitzen, often need extensive vet care, surgery, hospitalization, or boarding. It can cost us thousands of dollars to save their lives and bring them back to good health. Once treated, they recover and blossom in foster homes while receiving plenty of TLC, until they find their forever adoptive families. Some seniors or animals with life-time illness or disability become FFR Sanctuary Pets, and live out their lives in caring foster homes.
Seeing the transformation of our rescue animals, from sick and dejected to healthy and happy, keeps me eager and optimistic. I look at my own dogs, both rescues, for inspiration while they are snuggled next to me, supervising me as I type. Tomorrow is another day. Onward!
Ed. Note: Join FFR at its upcoming FUN-raiser on June 12th, Pets, Pinot & Jazz at The Mountain Winery, Saratoga. Detail in our calendar on page 19 and at http://furryfriendsrescue.org/events/view/pets_pinot_jazz.
Emily Verna is the founder and pack leader of Furry Friends Rescue (FFR), an all-volunteer non-profit Bay Area companion animal rescue organization. Founded in 1998, FFR has saved over 12,000 animals. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.furryfriendsrescue.org.
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