On a daily basis, we never know what will come through our doors. We have had everything from a baby pig dropped off, to a baby bat and a sick chipmunk. All of these and of course the normal ones, make our days so interesting at times. But it’s what we do and we are always ready for what’s next.
Well, in the last couple weeks, if you follow us on Facebook, you know we have had an exciting and sad time. We have taken in several animals that have been sick and we do all we can for them and more, but sometimes it’s not enough.
One of those sad cases was a puppy we took in named Jaxson. He came to us very sick at 9 weeks old, not able to move and very ill. For one night, he stayed at my house, getting fluids and force-feeding him. We tried all night to make him comfortable and give him the love he so deserved. Well, it was apparent to me Saturday morning, that he wasn’t doing well, that he was suffering tremendously. I contacted a friend who works in animal welfare and we got an appointment in Presque Isle for the little guy. We got up there and knew what we would hear. And we heard just that — he needed to be put to sleep, as he was very ill and suffering. There was nothing anyone could do. I held him, told him I loved him and at noon time on Saturday, he crossed over the rainbow bridge. He knew I tried and that we did all we could. We know in our hearts that he is free now, running pain free, watching over us as we try to save more.
Sadly in rescue, this happens sometimes. Sometimes by the time they get to us, they are so far gone, suffered so much, that their little bodies do not have the strength anymore. We cry every time this happens, whether we have had them for an hour or a month. We put our all into saving and helping them and continue to save more in their honor.
And we did just that with a cat named Gumby. Her owners left Gumby outside. The cat was 20 years old and had no teeth. She was severely matted, had ear infections and is going deaf. She came into our building from animal control. We knew when we saw her she was special and we were so right. She let us do everything we needed to her, purring the entire time. We shaved her mats, cleaned her ears and got her on a food she could eat. She made us all smile, knowing she was sent to us for a reason. After a few days, we all had fallen in love. So we made a group decision and have “adopted” Gumby as our shelter mascot. She has the run of the front part of our shelter, gets visitors and gifts daily and we could not be happier for her. She will live out her life, loved and cared for, like she deserves. We know she is happy now, when we see her walking around, greeting people. This one had a great ending!
These two rescues, whether sad or happy, cannot happen without your support. These are not things we plan for, but we never say ‘no.’ We take them in, like we did China and her pups, the Rockstar pups, the poodle seize and so many more and we give them 110 percent every time. So no matter how long they are with us, they know the team at HHS loved them and cared for them. Sometimes these cases require hundreds of dollars.
They require hours of care and thousands of dollars worth of supplies. We know you all care about what we do. Please help us continue doing it, in honor of Jaxson and China and so many more. They look down on us every day and are thankful for all we do. Lets make them proud. Any help we get, we truly appreciate and want you to know, it all goes to the animals. Thank you for your continued support and please consider donating in honor of a special animal.
Heather Miller is the executive director of the Houlton Humane Society. She can be reached at 532-2862 or at www.houltonhumanesociety.org.
