Saturday, August 17th is a nationwide pet adoption drive called Clear the Shelters, in which rescue organizations across the country rally to get as many pets adopted as possible.
To Healthy Paws, this day goes beyond adoption; it’s also about the collective efforts that go into rescuing homeless pets, rehabilitating them, and helping them find their forever homes. These efforts include volunteers, fundraising, fosters, spay/neuters, shelters, and everything in between.
The Healthy Paws Foundation was created over 10 years ago with the goal of helping homeless pets, and since then, it has donated over $800,000. Multiple times per year, we run a campaign called the Rescue Race in which shelters and rescue organizations can earn grants from the Healthy Paws Foundation. To celebrate and bring awareness to Clear the Shelters day, we’d love to share a few stories from past Rescue Race participants and how they’ve used the grant monies to rescue and accommodate more pets.
A representative of Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary in West Palm Beach, FL said:
We were able to pay some of our veterinary bills and put the remaining toward permit fees for a new, hurricane safe building! Something we have been trying to accomplish for two years! We could not have gotten the project started without your generosity! Once completed, it will allow us to save, and safely house so many more urgent homeless
pets. Thank you so much.
Terri from Bulldog Haven NW in Marysville, WA shared a story about a mama dog they were able to help.
Bella came to us in December. She’d been in a fight with another household dog. Injuries were untreated and she had massive bite wound infections on head, ears, and shoulders – as well as being VERY pregnant. It was tricky to medically treat the infections without harming the babies.
Her puppies were delivered Jan 1 starting at 1:00 AM. She had 8 over the next 12 hours. We named them after members of the Seahawks!
The little crew was moved to one of our foster homes early January and that family found wonderful homes for all 8 beautiful, sweet pups in late March. They were a mix of bulldog, mastiff and who knows what else. At 6 months, they range from 50-75 pounds.
Mama Bella was scheduled for her spay in mid-May. Evidently she liked her foster home so much, she decided to go into heat, so surgery was delayed until July. Since she’d had 3 litters in a little over a year, she ended up needing 5 mastectomies as well and had to recover from 64 stitches. July 30, she was just vet cleared for adoption and a wonderful home is ready to adopt and love her.
Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida wrote:
We were blessed to receive a $10,000 grant from Healthy Paws in your wonderful Rescue Race of November 2018. This pawesome gift came at the perfect time for our rescue to be able to help so many special dogs who needed extensive medical care over the holidays and into the new year.
We were also trying to recover from a financially challenging few months when a call came in that there were two goldens needing help. Then we learned there were four more about to be abandoned or euthanized with them after the passing of their human dad. They were not gold but had hearts of gold and we COULD NOT leave them behind.
So our A-team transporters picked up 6 dogs in need (who we call the Sweet Six) and brought them to our intake vet to start the difficult process of examinations, baths and medical assessments to determine their care plan. Their needs were great as vet care was not a part of their prior lives. Sadly we could not save one however his 5 siblings today are happy and healthy and are thriving in their forever homes.
The Healthy Paws award continued to support dogs in our rescue for much needed medical care:
– One of our Sweet Six, Mr. Pumpkin required TECA surgery which is a Total Ear Canal Ablation which is performed to manage severe canal or middle ear disease in dogs when other methods of treatment have failed. After his long recovery period, this sweetest of boys is now happily enjoying life with pain free ears in his forever home.
– Miss Lucy who we retrieved from a kill shelter needed extensive medical treatment and surgery for health and comfort. She continues to be in our sanctuary program in the loving arms of her forever foster mom as her road to complete recovery is still in progress.
– Numerous orthopedic surgeries were needed to restore mobility and comfort to young and older rescues in need and all placed in wonderful forever homes.
– Cancer surgery and pathology needs to save precious lives and give them comfort and quality of life.
– Several dogs who arrived heartworm positive required the 4 month extensive treatment and care needed to save them…all now healthy and being spoiled in their forever homes
We are so thankful for your organization providing these funds to our rescue to help us save lives and provide the quality of care for these special golden gifts. Hope has been restored for them as they now enjoy the lives they truly deserve in their loving forever homes.
We encourage you to support pet rescue efforts, whether locally or from afar.
Here are some ways you can help:
- Refer your friends to Healthy Paws! For every completed application, we’ll donate $25 on your behalf to shelters and rescues in the U.S.
- Donate pet food and supplies to your local shelter or rescue
- Volunteer at your local pet rescue organization
- Foster rescue pets to make room in the shelters
- Adopt your next pet and encourage a friend to adopt and save a life
