Stories from the Heart
Maggie Finds a Family
Maggie was unchipped and collarless when she showed up at a ranch east of town last winter. The couple who found her checked with neighbours to see if anyone recognized the young terrier-pitbull mix. When no owner turned up, they contacted WFCHS for help.
Found animals are typically quarantined 7 to 10 days, with posts on social media to seek an owner. Again, no one came forward. Maggie was vaccinated and scheduled for spay surgery. "Strays never come fixed," says Beth Walsh, WFCHS board member and director of animal care. Walsh also set up a plan for volunteers to handle daily feeding, walking and socialization.
"I haven't had a lot of experience with pitties," says Walsh, using the affectionate name for a breed that too often gets a bad rap. "But Maggie was the sweetest dog ever, she just poured love out." Twice-daily walks also improved her leash manners.
Three days before her scheduled surgery, Maggie went into heat, which meant three more weeks in WFCHS care. (Spaying while in heat is more costly and higher risk.) Meanwhile, the family who first found her was missing the black-and-white love bug and wanted her back. "The universe aligned!" says Walsh. Their adoption application was approved, and on March 20, Maggie went home forever.
Rowdy's Walk Home
Volunteering can be as simple as taking a dog for a walk. Just ask Sandy Mumford, who volunteered to walk heeler-border collie mix Rowdy this summer.
"At first he was very leery of men," says Sandy, "but he came around so quickly. You could really tell how smart he is." Weekly walks turned into fostering, and in early September Rowdy officially joined Sandy, husband Mike, and their two other dogs, yellow Lab Zeus and "chorky" (chihuahua-Yorkshire terrier mix) Bode. "He's so sweet and great with the other dogs," says Sandy. "We're just enjoying the heck out of how athletic and affectionate he is."
Kitty Corner
Three tiny kittens were in rough shape when found near Mill Iron Ranch in July: dehydrated, starving, with goopy eyes. Under the care of experienced volunteer cat foster Robin Steinert, the little ones made a great comeback. Once old enough, the tiny tabbies were spayed or neutered, vaccinated and, best of all, adopted into forever homes.
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Video about WFCHS created by Kendra Leseburg
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Bella's Forever Home
I'm not sure if you remember me as it's been 12 years since we met. You had rescued a small black lab and were looking for someone to be her "forever" home. I remember your concern as you explained that she was rescued from a neglectful home where her existence was basically a short chain in a dirt yard. I appreciated the gravity with which you handled the situation. We promised that we would give her everything that she deserved and had been denied. We took the charge, welcomed her into our home, and named her Bella.
Bella was an unnaturally polite dog. I think this was because of her time on the chain. She wanted to play but was unsure what degree of enthusiasm would be appropriate. On her first night home she was still recovering from being spayed. You told us she could have water and food so we brought her inside and she drank like she'd just discovered water. When she finished, she put her head in my lap and barfed all over me. I didn't mind but poor Bella was mortified. She refused to ever set foot in another kitchen.
The only time that Bella really let herself go wild was on car rides to go hiking. That first time was a real shock. She did a sort of barking, howling James Brown impersonation. Hikes were her favorite thing next to the car rides to go hiking; her joy was literally too big to contain. She never lost her enthusiasm for a car ride and a hike. Then she'd howl the whole way home.
A couple of weeks ago, we discovered she had lung cancer. Her quality of life was still good but the time was coming to guide her peacefully into the unknown. For a few weeks, her tail kept wagging and she was thrilled with the uptick in treats. Then yesterday, she took a turn for the worse. We called the vet, knowing it was time, to see when we could schedule euthanasia. We took her on one last car ride. She appreciated the windows being down but wasn't up for a hike. Instead, we just sat in the sun and enjoyed the fresh air.
Last night, I went to bed dreading what I would have to do today. Then, I was awakened at sunrise by a muffled barking. I was sure it wasn't Bella because she hadn't been able to bark on account of her lungs but I followed it downstairs and sure enough it was her. She'd found the strength to stand and was calling me. The sun was just rising, and she looked at me with a sort of conviction. I petted her and opened the back door. She trotted out towards her final sunrise. She stood for a moment before laying down and letting go. Even in death, she was an unnaturally polite dog.
Over the years I have meant to reach out to you to express my gratitude for Bella coming into our lives. I want you to know that she did find her forever home with us and it is we who are forever grateful. Please keep saving four legged souls and know that you are saving some two legged ones as well.
Meet Velvet
She was so damaged when she was brought to us, it was like seeing a puzzle put back together. In our rescuer's words: “This poor sweet little gal was found last fall along the highway near Crowheart. She was a mangled little cat; broken tail, shattered pelvis among numerous other injuries. I took her to two vets and WFCHS spent copious funds to save her life. She is a little fighter and she made it through (only minus her tail) to find a wonderful loving home!” Our thanks always to Gail, and all those who have given our critters Forever Homes.
In Like Flynn
Before his adoption by Justin and Jamie Allison, Flynn had been fostered by WFCHS Board member, Beth Walsh. “When Flynn was first fostered he was a very scared and shy dog. He was fearful of everything and everybody. He was afraid of mirrors, thresholds, fast movement, almost everything. After several months of rebuilding his confidence and trust, Justin and Jamie came along ,and they are the perfect fit for this sweet boy. They had the patience it took to help him get over some of his fears and saw his potential of being a great dog.” We are so grateful to them for going the distance with Flynn.