Loving Animals Who Need A Loving Home
Last night we were happy to volunteer to work at A Pet’s Wish Animal Rescue. This animal rescue is a nonprofit organization housing over 70 dogs and several cats. What we found remarkable about this particular animal rescue is how friendly and happy the animals were. All of the dogs here, except for 1 very feral dog, are suitable for adoption. Despite being in a less than ideal situation, all of these dogs seem happy and would make great pets.
This animal rescue is housing some beautiful animals. There are several breeds here ranging from larger dogs such as German shepherds, huskies, and American bulldogs to the smaller breeds such as Jack Russel terriers and dachshunds. Whether you are looking for a puppy or kitten, or looking for a mature animal, you are sure to find something suitable to your lifestyle at A Pet’s Wish.
Volunteering At An Animal Rescue Involves Dirty Hard Work
We started out by emptying all the trash cans. We are talking heavy, dirty trash cans. After the cans were emptied, it was time for food & water. This is not like feeding Fido at home. This involves going into a kennel housing multiple dogs to fetch the dirty food and water dishes. Expect to get very dirty. These dogs are happy to get human attention so all of them want to greet you at the same time from every angle. This means your clothes will reek like pee & poop afterwards. However, the love these animals radiate makes the smell only a minor inconvenience.
Feeding Time
As I collected the dishes from kennels, Shawna was disinfecting the bowls and getting them ready for dinner time. This is a noisy time at the kennel. These animals know it is time to eat. Let’s face it, when living in an animal rescue feeding time is the highlight of the day.
Once all the dishes are clean, it is time to serve fresh food & water. Once the food is out, it starts to quite down. Again remarkably, there was no fighting over food among the animals. These are good dogs and quick to adapt to their surroundings.
After Eating It’s Time To Poop
It’s a vicious, never ending cycle. Soon after the food is gone, a new job emerges (pun intended). It is time to clean some kennels. Shawna and I each grabbed one of those freshly emptied trash cans and started shoveling. I’m a poop magnet and lost count of how many times I stepped in it. However, I do not think Shawna ever had this same misfortune.
After cleaning the kennels we laid down fresh pine chips for bedding. A lot of kennels do not use the pine chips because of the added cost. The pine chips are better for the dogs as then they are not laying directly on concrete which can cause sores. Pine chips also go a long way in the absorption of urine and the associated smell. This is just another way you can tell that A Pet’s Wish truly cares about the well being of these animals.
A Pet’s Wish Needs Help Now More Than Ever
Katrina, the lady who owns & operates this animal rescue, is often caring for these animals on her own. That alone makes for some long, hard days. She does get some volunteer help from time to time, as well as people working off community service hours. However, that is not the biggest issue currently at hand.
A Pet’s Wish Needs A New Building ASAP
The owner of the building the animal rescue is in has given a notice to vacate by the end of this month. A Pet’s Wish is in danger of no longer being able to operate unless something happens fast. Katrina is desperately trying to find a solution to avoid all these animals going to animal control. Within minutes of meeting her, you can tell this is her passion and what she is meant to do. This animal rescue has been operating since 2010, and it would be a shame to see it fold.
How You Can Help
As stated, the biggest issue at hand is needing to find a building by the end of the month. These are the best ways you can help fix this dire situation:
- If anyone in the Del Rio, Texas area has a building that would be suitable for an animal rescue, please contact A Pet’s Wish to discuss a possible solution with Katrina.
- Adopt an animal! Every pet adopted is one less that may potentially end up at animal control. Even if you are not in the Del Rio, Texas area, some animals can be transported.
- Volunteer. As stated, there are a lot of animals to care for and Katrina needs all the help she can get. There are multiple ways you can volunteer. Volunteering makes you feel good, so do it!
- Donate. If we can get enough donations, then finding a new building becomes much easier.
- Share this post! The more people who see this, the bigger chance we have of saving these animals.
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