Rescue Stories
The Rescue Stories Below Changed My Life Forever…
I HOPE THEY MAY INSPIRE YOU
My heart is forever rooted in rescue. The welfare of homeless and abandoned animals has always compelled me to bring these injured souls the comfort they may never have known.
Seeing the condition of some of these animals drives me to continue my quest at finding them a new life filled with love. Most of my rescue efforts encompass helping lost, abandoned, or feral cats and dogs living on the streets. The cats and dogs I rescue are frightened to the point of running from humans. Catching them is the first challenge, then the rehabilitation begins. Renewing and restoring their trust in humans takes incredible patience, time, and knowledge.
The joy of seeing a broken animal develop into a loving relationship with a human inspires me to continue the good fight for all of God’s creatures.
Please stop and help that animal in need next time ~ You are stronger than you think!
The Story of Phantom
Phantom taught me we are stronger than we think
Phantom taught me we need to come together more as community
Phantom taught me we are better when we work together
Phantom taught me amazing things can happen if we try
So the next time you see an animal or human in need, and you are afraid to help….
Stop…and try.
You can make a difference. Believe in yourself and Try
I rescued Phantom in 2014. He was, by far the most emotional, difficult, and yet heartwarming rescue I have ever coordinated to date. He was barely alive, wandering the streets of Magnolia for 2 years with an embedded collar. The black oozing mess that stained down his chest to his legs showed the severity of the wounds from the collar choking him. I vowed I would not give up until this dog was saved. So many people had tried to help Phantom, but he was so feral no one could approach closer than 50ft.
I had no idea how to catch him, I only knew I was going to need a lot of help. I started making phone calls. I called Animal Control, I called rescue groups, I reached out on Facebook….I didn’t sleep some nights worrying about him. After a lot of effort I located some amazing women that lived near Phantom and had the same intense concern for him. They too had been watching….and trying to help him for 2 years. We started meeting at the gas station where Phantom was seen frequently. We had no idea what to do. But we didn’t give up. Stephanie Brown, Stephanie Dunlap and Pauline Mendoza encouraged me to put together a Facebook Page so we could coordinate our efforts. We found a woman, Polly Wark, who had a large dog trap. We found Sandra Olvera, who let us put the trap on her property. Through Facebook we asked people to post sightings of Phantom, so we could track him. The pieces started coming together.
On February 20th we finally got him. It had been 4 long months. 4 long months of these ladies tracking in the woods, knocking on doors and never tiring of helping this dog.
Phantom’s collar was surgically removed from his neck by the wonderful staff at Bear Branch Animal Hospital. He underwent 20 days of medications and twice daily wound cleaning at my home. He will have permanent, deep scars around his neck, but he is alive because of a wonderful group of people that rallied around him. All his surgical needs were paid for by donations from his Facebook community.
Phantom’s story is one of perseverance and never giving up. It is about asking for help from strangers, something we do little of today. I could not have done this alone. Phantom’s rescue took a village. That village was women I did not know, but found through a common interest to save a life. Phantom is alive today because a community came together. This is the lesson he wants us to hold onto. Do not be afraid. Together we are POWERFUL and we can move MOUNTAINS. Remember Phantom when you want to change the world. Ask for help. You are stronger than you think!
For more information on adoption or supporting Phantom please contact:
Carole Hopkins, Pawsitively Petsitting, The Woodlands, TX 832-585-7589
Caroleannhopkins@yahoo.com
The Story of Oreo
Oreo’s rescue taught me we must reach out and talk with neighbors in order to make positive change.
Oreo’s rescue brought an entire neighborhood closer together – Something desperately needed in our world today.
Oreo teaches us to come out of our locked homes. To shed the fear of talking to strangers, so we can succeed together as communities.
Trust me it feels good… try it sometime…
I learned of Oreo’s story from a client in 2015. Oreo was seen running wild in the Tuscany Woods subdivision of Shenandoah for about a year. She was so fearful of people, no one could approach her. My intuition told me there were others that saw Oreo and hurt for her lonely existence also. I knew if we could get a small team of 2-3 people interested, we could start the ball rolling. So my client and I started knocking on doors.
And from a few doors, and a few flyers, and talking to strangers in the neighborhood, we turned our small team into a hundred in a month.
Team Oreo was founded through the knowledge that your neighbors DO care if you ask them for help. We called on the help of a wonderful dog trapper I knew from a previous rescue. She agreed to help.
Oreo was trapped and saved on January 14, 2016. A lovely resident agreed to foster her. A local rescue group, Lone Star Animal Welfare League, sponsored her initial vet bills.
Everyone in the area helped. Everyone. This is how it is done. A Village helped Oreo. No one person could achieve this alone.
Oreo’s life was certainly saved by this community effort. She underwent extensive heartworm treatment and medical care. After she was healthy we found her a permanent home and the new owner’s even come back to visit with her. The amazing community feeling this effort fostered will last many years.