A Buddhist Temple, a homeless man, one woman’s journey, and a Memorial Day miracle!Okay… so it has been a really, really long time since my last blog. Sometimes the rescuers are too busy “rescuing” and running day to day operations to stop long enough to describe what goes on here at SOHS...
It is on this day that traditionally plays host to barbeques, softball, and a tribute to our fallen heroes that I have been inspired to blog again by one woman who wanted to make a difference. We received a call about five young dogs that needed a home from a woman in Fresno. She had been told that we might be able to help because no one in her area would accept them with a guarantee of life due to space and time limitations. (At five months of age they were not as desirable as younger puppies.)
Rassami had taken her mother to a Buddhist temple in the countryside near Fresno. She was surprised to find that numerous dogs had been dumped there and were being cared for by the monks and a homeless man. Return trips yielded heartbreak and hope. A small female Chihuahua mix dog had become pregnant. The male was shot by neighbors and bled to death near the temple. Rassami offered to help the homeless man care for the pups but he was unwilling to part with little ones that filled the hole in his heart left by the shooting incident. But he didn’t have the resources to even get them basic vaccinations. She was eventually able to win his trust and he surrendered them to her because she promised him that they would be spayed and neutered and placed in good homes.
Once she had the pups in hand she had no idea how difficult it would be to save their lives. Shelters and rescue organizations in California simply have no room with the state’s current challenging economic times. She was not prepared to care for that many dogs and did not have the resources herself to spay and neuter all of them. Our own economic constraints left us with no way to travel to get the dogs, but she volunteered to drive them up here herself if it meant that they would live. She left Fresno at 5 am and arrived in the afternoon the day before Memorial Day. One little black dog had many scabs from a massive tick infestation that included numerous larval ticks in his nose and ears. Two pups were somewhat shy and the other two could not stop giving lots and lots of dog kisses.
Rassami had taken her mother to a Buddhist temple in the countryside near Fresno. She was surprised to find that numerous dogs had been dumped there and were being cared for by the monks and a homeless man. Return trips yielded heartbreak and hope. A small female Chihuahua mix dog had become pregnant. The male was shot by neighbors and bled to death near the temple. Rassami offered to help the homeless man care for the pups but he was unwilling to part with little ones that filled the hole in his heart left by the shooting incident. But he didn’t have the resources to even get them basic vaccinations. She was eventually able to win his trust and he surrendered them to her because she promised him that they would be spayed and neutered and placed in good homes.
Once she had the pups in hand she had no idea how difficult it would be to save their lives. Shelters and rescue organizations in California simply have no room with the state’s current challenging economic times. She was not prepared to care for that many dogs and did not have the resources herself to spay and neuter all of them. Our own economic constraints left us with no way to travel to get the dogs, but she volunteered to drive them up here herself if it meant that they would live. She left Fresno at 5 am and arrived in the afternoon the day before Memorial Day. One little black dog had many scabs from a massive tick infestation that included numerous larval ticks in his nose and ears. Two pups were somewhat shy and the other two could not stop giving lots and lots of dog kisses.
For these five dogs this Memorial Day holiday offers the opportunity to live and it also stops the cycle of suffering since these pups will be spayed and neutered before they go home with their new families. A woman who inspired us with her dedication leaves the Rogue Valley also inspired… to start a nonprofit organization in her area that will serve as a clearing house for information and resources to help those with limited funds care for homeless pets. Education is such a key component in the epidemic homeless pet crisis in California. She is going to see to it that all of the dogs residing at the Temple get spayed and neutered. One woman cared enough to save five special dogs. They will be available for adoption at SOHS on Tuesday June 1. Heartfelt thanks to Rassami for spending her holiday weekend traveling with some special canine companions in need of a second chance.
Heaven Can Wait Rescue Transport will be bringing 50 small/medium size dogs to SOHS. They will be available on June 18, 2010.
You are a kind woman, Rassami.
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