Do You Have Animal Shelter Stories? Mine is Changing my Life. A Fundraiser!

Do you have any animal shelter stories? Maybe about one you love? After moving to Fort Lauderdale, I decided I was ready to get involved with a local shelter to help walk dogs and do what I could to brighten their day. A new friend suggested Abandoned Pet Rescue, South Florida’s never kill shelter, a term I hadn’t heard before and learned was different than a no kill. Never kills keep animals their whole lives, if need be, and only euthanize if the animal is in pain and can’t be cured; in other words, if their quality of life is awful. The first time I went there, I knew I was hooked. This shelter is the little engine that could and they are saving lives with hard work, love and not much else.

APR is an all-volunteer facility that houses over 300 animals, mostly cats and dogs. Some were found wandering the streets, some were pulled from the municipal kill shelter and some were just plain dumped on their doorstep. Hard for us, who love our animals so dearly, to imagine how or why people do these things. But, thank goodness for shelters like APR to take them in and care for them, give them a safe haven and love, until they find their forever homes.

Susie Hansen, one of the first people I met there, oversees the shelter and is the only original board member left (she’s the Treasurer). By day, Susie is the accounting person for a McDonald’s franchisee. By night and weekends, she is tirelessly working to help the animals in her care.

Nine pounds of love is changing my life

APR is where I met the two Chihuahuas I’ve been posting about on Facebook and Instagram. I fell in love with this father/daughter duo, who’d arrived as Mai Tai and Mimosa, as they looked expectantly out from their cage, eager for any shred of attention and love. They’d been rescued from an extreme breeder hoarding situation and I got lucky that first day, when I asked to walk them.

Anabelle

Albie

You’ve seen their pictures; can you blame me? These four and five pound Chihuahuas hadn’t been out for a walk yet, and I was told they’d probably never been walked or ever felt grass under their paws. I was so excited to be the one to introduce them to this favorite canine activity!

It was such a beautiful thing!

I carried them across the street to a nice grassy area and sat down. The little boy sat like a statue for about ten minutes. Then, he gingerly got up, took a couple of steps, then starting hopping up and down, running around and playing with unabashed joy! His ears were erect, his eyes were shining and he had the most beautiful smile across his face; it was probably one of the most profound experiences I’ve had. The little girl is a princess; she daintily sat herself down, walked around, happy, but too regal to embarrass herself with such overt behavior. LOL

To make a very long story short (some of you may know the story from my social media postings about these babies), I was given another honor; that of renaming the babies and I also made it my mission to find a loving home for Albie (short for Prince Albert) and Anabelle (said princess). When a promising adoption up north in New Jersey didn’t work out and I couldn’t find another good option, I took the pups in and am now fostering them. Sophie, Jasper, Anabelle and Albie are all still getting used to one another (it’s only been 4 days), but it looks promising. Ask me in a couple of months and, who knows, I may have become a foster fail (for those who’ve never heard this expression, it means we’ll have adopted them). 🙂

Albie (foreground) & Anabelle in my NYC apt

That brings me back to APR. I’ve fallen hard for them, too. I’ve gotten to know some of the people who’ve dedicated themselves to being there every day, like Barbara, Linda, Debbie, Marina and many others, keeping this little engine that could running. Yes, there are other very deserving shelters out there in the world. Maybe yours. But this one is mine, and they have their big annual fundraiser coming up this Saturday, November 7. I”m putting it out there to please give.

They are introducing a special buy a tile program called Imagine A Future…Build It Now, and will erect a dedication wall at the shelter. With every tile purchased, you save lives and help provide the food, bedding and other essentials necessary to care for these animals. Each tile is a blank canvas to express a sentiment about a much loved pet that becomes part of the mosaic of this wall of hope. The tiles are very stylish; made from grey Metropolitan Quarry stone, and cost $100 each to purchase. There is a limited number of them, so if you’re interested, don’t delay.

But really, to make a difference and pay it forward, all you need to do is give whatever you can. Go to APR’s site to donate. If you’re in the Fort Lauderdale area, you may want to attend the fundraiser. It’s called Arts & Auctions for Animals and takes place in a very cool artist loft space (many of the committee members are artists and some are donating their pieces). The poster above will take you to the purchase tickets page. Some of my colleagues in the pet space have generously donated auction items, like Peace. Love. Paws. and Brothers Pet Nutrition, and local business owner friends like Sophil Gems and Acacia. It’ll be a fun night of good people, food, entertainment, a silent auction and a great cause.

Adoptables

Here’s a gallery of some of APR’s adoptable dogs. Aren’t they beautiful? If you’re interested in any in particular, each picture is linked to that dog’s profile page.

Terry

Polly

Fiona

Fiona’s daughter, Fontina

Candy

Lilly

Maya

Roxy

Brownie

Bronx

When I go into APR, I see all of those expectant faces. They don’t understand why they’re there; why they were treated so badly or abandoned. Just making their day a little better by showing up and spending time with them is already making a difference. Would you help, too, by giving whatever you can?  Thank you, Bark & Swagger Family!!

Do you have a favorite shelter in your area? Tell me about them!