Catahoula Rescue of New England: Houlas & Heelers, Inc.: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The funds from the grant were used for medical care for a dog that we pulled named Pepper who was ill with heartworm.
The remaining funds were used to help with paid transports of dogs saved from the South and to also purchase travel gear (ie. Kurgo seat tethers, harnesses) to provide safe and secure transport for our own transporters.
This grant was huge! First we were able to provide a secondary level of care to a dog that we normally would not have been able to provide. We would have had to solicit, and hope for, donations.
In regards to the transport side of things, we were able to save dogs from two states that we have never pulled from before because of distance and to know that the dogs were safe and secure. The Kurgo gear that was purchased is insurance that we are continuing to go above and beyond to help make every transport safe for our fosters.
How many pets did this grant help?
Ten, and many more to come!
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Pepper is a little Blue Heeler who came from a very rural shelter down in the gulf of Louisiana. I learned of Pepper one night before going bed, when I checked my email one last time. An acquaintance of mine begged me to save him. He was scheduled to die the next morning at 8 a.m. and I needed to make a decision. After looking at this scrawny fella who was herding this great big Pyrenees in the shelter pen, how could I not take him? I decided to take a leap of faith. He had that something in his eye that spoke to me.
Saving Pepper came with challenges. Getting dogs from the South to New England is not easy. He originally was going to go in a different direction. But after losing two potential fosters, we found the right one for him. In the process, we discovered he had a very mild case of heartworm. This fabulous grant allowed us to provide the best testing available to give us the best prognosis and determination of care for this busy guy!
Pepper was finally adopted to a fabulous hobby-farm home. If a dog could ever truly be destined to be somewhere, it is this situation. This is the home Pepper has always been destined for. He has a fabulous new family, a job to do and a smile that goes on forever.
