The Call
On January 24, 2010 the ASPCA was called in to investigate a county shelter in Clarksdale MS. The shelter which had a maximum capacity of 60 animals had over 400 animals in it. It was a county shelter run by contracted individuals. Their goal was to be "no-kill". They ended up being overwhelmed. The conditions in the shelter were horrible. The dogs are thin, riddled with parasites, many are heartworm positive, others are injured or have mange. The conditions they were being kept in were inhumane. Read more about the shelter, the raid and what the ASPCA did to take care of the animals here, here and here. There are videos attached to some of the news stories.
On Monday January 25, 2010 NNEDR received a email from Petfinder asking for help from rescues and shelters across the country that could help to take in these dogs. When we saw the videos and read the news stories we felt compelled to reach out and help these poor dogs if we could.
We called the Clarksdale MS police department and eventually we were connected with Allison from the ASPCA. She was in Clarksdale and she assured me they did need our help. At first we said we could take two to three dogs and we might know a couple of other rescues that could take in a couple as well. As we talked to Allison and heard more about what was going on down there the numbers started to climb. We posted pleas for help on our Facebook pages and soon we had enough people interested that we were able to commit to ten dogs! We knew that some of the dogs were heartworm positive so we put in a call to our trusted veterinarian, a boarding facility we have used in the past and then to our families to let them know things were about to get crazy.
The next day our ten dogs were loaded onto a large transport truck headed north. They all survived the trip and are settling in at the boarding kennel. They will be quarantined for fourteen days before we bring them to Vermont. They are being treated for parasites, vaccinated and cleaned up while they are there. In two weeks we will make the five plus hour trip to pick them up and bring them back to Vermont. they will be placed in foster homes, vetted, groomed and cared for. We hope these dogs can be cured, rehabilitated and rehomed. Our dream for them is that they will become loving family members in safe forever homes and can someday forget the horrors they have endured at the hands of people. So here they are.
We will try to keep this page as up to date as possible.
The Transport
On February 13, we packed 17 crates in a horse trailer and set off for Montgomery New York at 6:30am to pick up the Clarksdale MS dogs. We had no idea what we would find when we got there. We were as organized as we get (this means we had directions printed), and excited to meet the dogs and get to work. In the five hours it took us to get to the boarding facility our anticipation grew. What we had built up in our minds to be some heartwarming greeting was not to be.
The dogs were really sick and depressed. They smelled like urine and they were terrified. We got them out of the facility and loaded onto crates as quickly as we could. We did our best to label them. Our fantasies of documenting their story with photos was quickly dashed as we went into Mission Impossible mode to get them loaded and get back on the road. It was clear from their condition the dogs had been suffering for a long time. When we got on the road we were full of emotions, one of us was sick, others were angry all of us were really sad.
We arrived in Vermont at 7:00pm and we were greeted by a happy group of volunteers. They were ready to assist in the unloading and cleaning of crates. We dispersed the dogs to their foster families, gave them as much information as we had in the moment and the supplies they would need to take care of the dogs.
It was a whirlwind of barking, crate cleaning, introductions and craziness.
At 9:00pm the last volunteers and foster families left with their new charges.
It was a long, emotional, very smelly day and the journey continues...
Two Weeks Later
February 27, It has been two weeks since we brought the Clarksdale Dogs to Vermont. It has been a hectic, heartbreaking and heartwarming fourteen days.
On February 18 we had to euthanize one of the Clarksdale dogs. Brian was a sweet, outgoing guy that had endured extreme neglect. He was riddled with parasites, scarred from fighting for his food and coughing. A trip to the vet revealed that he had a very bad case of heartworm, his lungs were full of fluid and he was in heart failure. It was one of the saddest days we have experienced in the rescue. Brian's tired eyes told us he was ready to go, but emotionally it was hard to let go. He was suffering, yet the dreams we had for him and the hopes that he would one day be a part of a loving family, getting plenty of food and attention were hard to give up. Brian's last moments were full of cheeseburgers, fresh air, lots of love and hugs.
The sadness I felt after losing Brian was followed by anger that honestly I have not been able to shake yet. People did this to these animals, they neglected them, left them to fight for their food in horrid conditions. They failed to provide them with adequate vet care, attention, food and clean water. Brian's suffering as well as the other dogs was 100% preventable.
The other dogs have settled into their foster homes. 9 out of the 10 dogs we rescued are heartworm positive. They have all been to the vet and have started on the road to recovery. The treatment for heartworm is dangerous and death is one of the risks. We are hopeful that these dogs will survive and go on to happy, loving forever families.
April 7, 2010
The Clarksdale dogs started their second round of treatment for heartworm today. The injections they receive are very painful and the side effects can range from uncomfortable to deadly. These are tense times for the dogs as they have to be crated around the clock to avoid too much excitement, for the fosters who are so careful and always watching to be sure the dogs are okay and for the vets that are treating them. All of the dogs came through the first round of injections okay and we are hopeful they are all on the road to recovery. As they have adjusted to life in homes with a family we have found them to be incredibly resilient and wonderful dogs. I have to admit when I first saw this crew of mangy, skinny, dirty dogs in February I had my doubts about being able to find them new homes. As it turns out I think they are all going to be excellent family companions. All but one of the dogs is completely house trained, they love other dogs and the attention of their foster people. Their ability to adapt and trust people again is nothing short of miraculous. As we get to know them we discover new things all the time and we are so grateful that we have this oppertunity to help these nine dogs.
Rudy
Rudy: He is a character! He is silly, affecting and he adores his foster mom. Rudy is house trained, likes to play with toys and is learning how to be a dog. He loves his dog bed, sleeping in his foster mom's bed and snuggling on the couch. Update: Rudy will be adopted by his foster mom when he finishes his treatment.
Yogi
Yogi: It took a few days for Yofi to come out of his shell. He is fostered in a very busy house hold and there were noises, smells and living in a home with people to get used to. In the past two weeks he has really come a long way. He comes out of his crate to greet everyone, he seeks attention from strangers and he is starting to act like a more normal dog. Just today Yogi started to really play with the other dogs in his foster home and as you can see in the pictures he LOVES kids!
Timothy
Timothy: We knew when we saw his first picture that he would be really cute, but he is so much more than cute. Timothy has adjusted to home life in record time. He is house and crate trained as well as good in the car. Timothy likes other dogs and being with his foster people.
Cassie
Cassie: Cassie was the most fearful dog we rescued from Clarksdale. It took her a few days to come out of her crate, but after she did she quickly started to bond with and trust her foster mom. Cassie has come so far in the last three weeks. She goes for walks, plays like a dog, is great on and off leash, is working on basic obedience and loves attention.
Watson
Watson: Watson is a very sweet little guy. He is the youngest of the dogs we rescued from Clarksdale so he was probably born in the shelter as the dogs were reproducing in the building. Watson is also the only dog we rescued that is not positive for heart worm.
Watson has demodectic mange and he is not responding to the normal treatment. He has lost the majority of his fur and he is suffering. His skin itches, it burns and it drives him crazy. He has been this way for a long time. We are have just started him on a number of new treatments and we are hoping to see some improvement in the next 10 days. The next 10 days are CRITICAL for Watson so keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He has survived so much and endured so much discomfort he deserves to have a happy, pain free life with a family.
Watson loves living with his foster family and they are truly exceptional. He sleeps in bed with them, gets a ton of love, affection and care through out every day. He is living the life he was meant to, and we are hopeful we will start to see some improvement soon. We will keep you posted.
Watson has made tremendous progress over the past few weeks thanks to his devoted foster mom. Mary has gone above and beyond for this dog and she has literally saved his life. She spends her days comforting him and soothing his itching skin, she drives hours for his vet appointments, she updates us regularly and has committed herself 100% to Watson's recovery. We really could not ask for more in a foster parent. Watson is so lucky Mary came out of foster retirement to take him on. While Watson still has a long road ahead his itching has mostly subsided. His hair is starting to grow back and he seems to be more comfortable.
Remy
Remy is a young, energetic bird dog mix. He is currently being treated for heartworm and we expect he will make a full recovery. Remy would love to join an active family. He has adapted to home life very well. He has mastered house training, sleeping quietly in his crate and plays very appropriately with his foster sister and brother. He is fostered in a home with cats and kids. Remy will make an excellent companion. He will be neutered and vaccinated before he is adopted.