Happy Tails
In honor of Mission’s Q1 [Charity of Choice], Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter, we’re sharing the sweet stories of [local] rescue pets and the people who chose them.
MEET PUPPY GIRL
Fur child of Robin Roach + family, this lucky baby was found running down the middle of Florida Street.
“She looked like a bag of trash blowing in the wind. Just running in circles in the street.” Robin says.
Seeing the small puppy in distress she quickly pulled over and stopped traffic to keep her from getting hit.
The family took the skittish 7 lb puppy to the vet and discovered she had a microchip. Robin agreed to keep her while the vet contacted the owner.
Robin told her girls [3 + 7 at the time] they couldn’t get attached and name her because she already had a family. The girls, determined to call the dog something, gave her the “no name name” of Puppy Girl.
After weeks of attempts, the former family of Puppy Girl refused to come forward to care for her so, she became part of the Roach-Davis family and they kept her “no name name”, Puppy Girl.
“We thought she was a puppy because she was so small so we were surprised when the vet told us she was a fully-grown adult dog that was specifically bred to be that size. She’d been spayed and taken care of at some point but the family likely grew sick of the accidents and attachment issues and dumped her. When pets become a problem, they are often not re-homed in an ethical way.”
But, the loss of the former family was no loss at all. Puppy Girl had found the perfect home. With two young girls who petted her constantly and never put her down and Robin and Adam both home to care for her every need she thrived in a space filled with kindness, patience and love.
And there she remained. For more than 12 years. Puppy Girl was a constant. She sat shotgun in carpool. In the cart on shopping trips. Always underfoot. Tucked under an arm. Sleeping pressed against her person.
Puppy Girl passed in peace on March 4, 2023.
All month we’re raising resources and awareness for the rescue pets at Mobile Animal Shelter. We do this in honor of Puppy Girl and all the other lost fur children. It won't bring them back but maybe we can help save another one.
See all the ways you can get involved and help our fur friends...
MEET RUTHIE!
Fur child of Dr. Kelly Urban, Ruthie’s backstory is still a bit of a mystery. Adopted from local rescue group Mobile Cat Society during the “busy season”, Ruthie came to the Urban household with a host of issues.
The Urbans are well known and sought after foster parents in the rescue circuit. They are formally trained and educated to help foster cats and kittens with special needs or extenuating circumstances. Ruthie certainly fit that bill.
Ruthie’s eye had recently been removed and she was diagnosed with Pillow Paws, a condition that makes cats’ paws extremely sensitive and can hemorrhage with even the slightly impact. She was also badly abused and fearful of her new home and family.
It took time and patience, as all good things do, but once she acclimated and healed she began to trust.
“That’s when her personality really came out.” Kelly says. “She’s such a clown. She gets the zoomies and races all over the house. And she eats paper. The whole dog ate my homework thing is real…but with a cat and a manuscript. We lost our long-time, beloved rescue cat Abigail just a couple months before Ruthie came to us. She was exactly the spark our house needed.”
When asked about the commitment to foster + rescue efforts Kelly replied, “Fostering a shelter pet can make a world of difference in their adoptability. Just getting 30 minutes of interaction a day. Learning to trust, get petted and litter box trained can mean the different of finding a forever home right away or spending months at a shelter.”
Shortly after officially adopting Ruthie the Urbans rescued another kitten from a dire situation. Now a 3 cat home, these special kitties get a second chance at a happy life thanks to the big hearts of Kelly and Ryan.
All month we’re raising resources and awareness for the rescue pets at Mobile Animal Shelter. We do this in honor of Ruthie and all the other fur children.
See all the ways you can get involved and help our fur friends...
MEET COWBOY!
Fur child of Alicia Sellers, Cowboy is a full-bred Blue Heeler and he’s also a rescue.
“Cowboy is the perfect example that you can get any dog you’re looking for from a rescue group or shelter vs a breeder. We were specifically looking for an Australian Cattle Dog when we came across Cowboy’s photo. He was with a New Orleans rescue group called Take Paws. They are known for their amazing work especially with animals who have been abused. We filled out an application with the organization. They did an interview, looked at our home and yard and approved us to get Cowboy for a trial. Obviously, it went well. For $300 we adopted a pure bred rescue and those dollars we spent allow the rescue group to save another unwanted, unloved or abused animal.”
Help us continue to share the good word about pet adoption and raise resources and awareness for the rescue pets at Mobile Animal Shelter.
See all the ways you can get involved and help our fur friends...
MEET ALICE!
Alice was found tied to a light pole with her sister and picked up by animal control.
Once the terrified girls were placed at the City of Mobile Animal Shelter they were fully vetted and cleared for adoption. Her sister got adopted instantly but days and weeks went by and no one was interested in Alice. The Friends of Mobile Animal Shelter saw something special in Alice and took her on as one of their own.
It was discovered that Alice was a breeder dog that was likely dumped after her “usefulness” ended. This is disconcertingly common, especially in rural, uneducated areas where backyard breeders are prevalent.
Because of the prevalent forced breeding, Alice was terrified of male dogs. FOMAS knew they had to find Alice the perfect home.
After months sharing her photo and story the Hankins family came in to meet Alice…and fell in love. Alice now sleeps in a soft bed, not a metal cage, and has two little kids who pet and love on her constantly.
If you’re on the hunt for a fur child, take a peek at all the homeless pets, like Alice, looking for a second chance at a happy tail…
MEET CAIN!
Meet Cain 🐾
Fur child of Alison + Keith Jones, Cain was found wandering the streets of West Mobile starving and scrounging for food in trash cans. He was picked up by Animal Control and taken to the Mobile County Animal Shelter. Like most shelters they are understaffed, underfunded and overflowing with unwanted pets. For all these reasons they have a significantly higher euthanasia rate for healthy, adoptable animals. That’s where rescue groups come in. Local rescues are vital for sustaining and supporting our local shelters and healthy pet ecosystem.
The cost to fully vet a new healthy intake is over $250. For those with medical issues costs can escalate into the thousands. When resources and staff are already stretched paper thin and needy animals continue to pour in, hard decisions must be made.
Thankfully, local group Krewe de Rescue, saw Cain [formerly Mac] and pulled him from the shelter and to safety. They estimated his age to be 6 months to a year. He was unaltered, severely malnourished and based on his timid, fearful behavior they believed he’d been abused repeatedly. It was presumed he came from a litter of Black Mouth Cur puppies from an irresponsible breeder in West Mobile. Negligent breeders often dump puppies that don’t have the markings or features they desire or fail to sell right away.
Alison and Keith were already in the foster program with Krewe de Rescue and agreed to keep Cain for two weeks. He was among a group of dogs scheduled for transport to the Northeast where there are more homes and less overpopulation of stray animals.
Cain was picked up directly from the veterinarian. He’d never been in a car with the exception of the dog catcher and to be neutered so it took 3 people to get him in Alison’s car. Once he arrived at his new temporary home he was frightened but so gentle and desperate for love. He weighed 47 pounds but was determined to sit exclusively in Alison’s lap.
It will surprise no one to hear, on his second day at the Jones house, a monogrammed collar was ordered from Etsy with Cain’s new name and Krewe to Rescue was informed 1 less dog would be making the trip to NYC.
Cain has been part of the Jones family for nearly 10 years. He goes to work with Keith daily, sits in meetings with Fortune 500 companies and is the best companion and big brother to their newest fur child addition, Nora.
If you’re on the hunt for a fur child, take a peek at all the homeless pets, like Cain, looking for a second chance at a happy tail…
Raising dollars + making change…that’s the mission of Mission.
Join us in our efforts and let's [Sweat for Good] all to benefit Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter.
