Weekly Update for July 17, 2008

From Doll:

Dr. Bushby and his team of veterinary students visited on Friday, July 11th. His and his team managed to spay/neuter every unaltered animal with the exception of a few who are battling illness.

We had a litter of kittens arrive emaciated, with coccidia, upper respiratory and intestinal worms. Sadly, despite our best efforts and the efforts of the doctors at Veterinary Associates in Grenada, we lost three of the litter.

Pretty Girl, a very precious, shy dog who has graced us with her cautious affection for 10 years had her fatty tumor removed. It's the second time she's had surgery for the persistent growth. Everything went well and she's already almost fully recovered.

The Delta Today and Grenada Star features on Hope Sanctuary were terrific, but so far have not generated the funds we'd hoped they might. However, Dr. Holden, a retired veterinarian who we've worked with quite a bit over the years, did see the piece in the Grenada Star and made a very generous donation. Although retired, he remains very active and just returned from the Ukraine where he was working to help establish veterinary clinics in remote parts of the country. He is truly a compassionate human being.

Thank you to everyone who did call or donate in response to the two articles. We appreciate your support and encouragement.

As always, if you'd like to become a supporter of our work, please visit: https://secure.ga0.org/02/idadonations_project.

We are continuing to work on a animal hoarding case a few counties over. A woman and her wheelchair-bound son have about 70 dogs. Law enforcement have been working with us, but the process has been slow. We are in need of a place to move these dogs and funds for their care. Please do e-mail (doll@idausa.org) or call 662-237-0233, if you think you can help.

We've also received a call from law enforcement in another county about another hoarder. Details at the moment are still fuzzy, but we're told there are over 100 cats in and around the property. We'll give more details once we know more about the case.

I'm preparing for the AR2008 Conference, where I'll be one of the IDA presenters this year. My topics are: Running a Sanctuary, Engaging the Community, Conducting Investigations, Enforcing Protective Laws, and Abuse of Animal Companions. I love attending this conference and getting the chance to speak about these important issues. It's very empowering and I certainly hope I reach people and make them think about things they may not have considered before.

A dear friend of ours, Robin Rogers, helped out this weekend. She cleared the pig and dog buildings of bedding (hay) so they can be cleaned. The pigs, especially BJ, will want their hay back right away, but the dogs won't need it until it starts to turn cold in the Fall. BJ is very protective of his hay and tries to put it back as fast as you remove it. He gets so frustrated that he offers to take you on if you continue. He's really sweet, he just doesn't like anyone messing with his stuff.

I want to thank my staff for the days of pleasure working with them and seeing how sweet they are with the animals and the joy they take in the whimsical and intentional acts that never cease to amaze us.

Finally, a sad follow-up on Samuel, who we first mentioned in last week's report. Samuel was diagnosed with advanced demodectic mange. His feet had begun to swell and the bacterial infection and associated afflictions of the advanced stages of the parasitic infestation, coupled with his emaciated condition resulted in a little to no chance of recovery prognosis. After consultation with a couple of our veterinarians, it was decided the best thing to do was spare him any further suffering.

In the wake of the news about Samuel, Hope Sanctuary staff didn't have a happy morning. As we cared for the many animals who truly would have died without our intervention, we were able to do what folks must do to carry on - be thankful, say goodbye and not forget. Samuel will live on in our hearts and we are grateful for the brief time we shared with him.