In November 2018, the Healthy Paws Foundation announced the fourth run (and the last one for 2018) of our grant initiative, The Healthy Paws Rescue Race, funded through our “Every Quote Gives Hope” program. Here’s how it works: six organizations are selected to participate and “race” to the finish line via votes on the site, and the winner is chosen based on the number of votes received. Organizations work hard to share on social media and encourage followers, supporters, and friends to get them the cash! Healthy Paws gave a grand total of $70,000, divided among the six nonprofits, and every organization received at least $5,000. Here’s the story behind our $20,000 winner, Pitties & Purrs.
“We are a small foster-based, all-volunteer pitbull and cat rescue in Baltimore, Maryland,” says Fundraising Coordinator Toni Vale. “We rescue dogs from local shelters and also from animal control facilities in other parts of the country. Our dogs and cats are fully vetted and rehabilitated before finding homes with loving families in the local area.” Pitties & Purrs specializes in animals with medical issues, especially those with skin, orthopedic, and eye complaints. “We tend to take the ones that other rescues can’t, and we do this with minimal funding. Our dogs and cats always receive the best veterinary care and all donations and grants are used for veterinary care and supplies. This allows us to save more animals. We are known as the rescue with a heart.”
Animals with special needs have found a beacon of hope in Pitties & Purrs, and the rescue story they shared was for a pup named Trotter who received much-needed help. “Trotter was abused at 7 weeks old, leaving him paralyzed and incontinent,” begins Toni. “Pitties & Purrs was asked to help and thankfully found him a loving foster home.”
Trotter was taken to the rescue’s vet for a second (and then third) opinion and after a few weeks, he began to involuntarily move his legs. “Trotter was taken to extensive physical and underwater treadmill therapy twice a week in order to help him regain mobility, but after a year, sadly there was little to no improvement.” He’s like any other dog, but he uses a wheelchair to get around now instead of his legs. “Trotter doesn’t know that he is any different than any other dog and is not treated any differently; he does all of the normal dog things like play fetch, give kisses, eat lots of food, celebrate holidays and birthdays and even go on vacations,” says Toni. Trotter’s foster family adopted him and you can follow his Facebook: TrotterBoyPandP.
The group also recently rescued a dog named Noel, a sweet, young pup with advanced heartworm. “We were contacted by a southern shelter because Noel was coughing up blood in her kennel and they didn’t think she would survive,” says Toni. “They really wanted to help her, but she was also subject to euthanasia due to her medical status and being in an overcrowded shelter. Noel was rushed to a nearby vet and it was touch-and-go for a while, but thankfully she is now out of the woods. Noel still has a long way to go, but we are hopeful for her full recovery. Noel’s treatment costs are significant and she is not the only animal we have in our care with high veterinary expenses, so we are extremely grateful to for this grant!”
The rescue will continue to rescue dogs and cats that are subject to dire medical situations, and the Rescue Race grant will help to offset the high cost of veterinary treatment for them. Visit Pitties & Purrs’ website to learn more about their life-saving work.
Visit the Healthy Paws Rescue Race page to learn more about the other participating organizations that qualified for grants and check back here on the blog to read about each organization!
