Our most challenging year yet, and the bright spots outshine it all…
This year has been a challenge for everyone, including our animal rescue. To adapt to the pandemic, our staff bravely stepped up and shouldered more day-to-day work to minimize volunteers’ need to come in. We leaned hard on our amazing network of foster families, and even were forced to cancel the in-person fundraising events we rely on to cover our costs. All this, while we took in a substantial increase in surrendered animals due to owners’ economic hardships.
And yet, here we are, standing strong, thanks to people like you. Not only are we on track to rescue far more animals than last year, but we’ve created programs that help families keep their pets in spite of hardships: we opened free Pop-Up Pet Food Pantries and extended low-cost vet clinic services for pet owners unable to afford food or veterinary care.
As we all know, these challenges are likely to continue. We cannot keep up this increased pace without your help. So, thank you for being one of our incredible supporters. The animals know they have you rooting for them. We will continue to save the dogs and cats other shelters simply don’t have the resources or facilities to save. And we will stride closer and closer to our goal to end animal homelessness.
Momma Coyote was rescued from the Navajo Reservation when she found herself as a new mother five newborn puppies with nowhere to go. We rescued little Mama and her baby puppies, bringing her back to our Rescue Ranch and placing them all together in a loving foster home. Mama Coyote was so skinny and scared, but seemed deeply grateful for the nutritious food and safe place to raise her babies.
She was an outstanding mother and doted on her puppies constantly. When they were old enough, all of the puppies found their forever homes … and so did Mama Coyote. A true heroine in our eyes, she taught us that the bravest mothers are both loving and resilient.
Muffin was found barely alive and turned into the shelter. They called us immediately, knowing she would need special care to pull through. Our staff lept into action, and our veterinarian confirmed that, at ten years old, she was extremely emaciated. Not only that, but she had a large mass in her abdomen. Our team rushed Muffin into surgery, where they discovered that Muffin had an intestinal blockage caused by a foil muffin wrapper, which she had most likely ingested when foraging garbage for something to eat.
Our veterinarian removed the blockage; we weren’t sure if Muffin would survive the night, and we anxiously waited. The next morning, Muffin was not only standing in her kennel—but also, when offered food, she started to eat! While Muffin had a bumpy road of recovery, she continued to gain her strength and recover from her ordeal. Today, she awaits her forever family in the comfort of our Adoption Center, knowing that her fate has turned for the better.
Janika was rescued from our local animal control after she was found by herself as an infant kitten just two weeks old. She was among the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, needing to be bottle-fed every two hours to survive. Unfortunately, soon, Janika started to go downhill and had to be rushed to Advanced Veterinary Care — she suddenly started to gasp for air and could not stand.
She’d fallen prey to pneumonia, a dangerous situation for an infant kitten. She was placed in an oxygen chamber with supportive care and antibiotics due while the doctors worked to try to stabilize her. After several days, she started to improve, and was able to return to foster to continue to heal. Finally, her great day came: she was adopted to her forever home! Her new family loved her all the more after the perilous trials this tiny kitten had endured… and now, she lives the life she always deserved.
Just as our staff were getting ready to leave on a chilly October night, Animal Control called for help with a litter of three-week-old kittens that had been found all alone, without a mother. Unable to care for or feed themselves, these kittens were in dire need of help. We immediately took them in, where our loving staff warmed the kittens up and bottle-fed each one — making sure that, before bedtime, each little one was cozy-warm with a full belly. Then, we placed them in a foster home that would be able to care for them ‘round the clock until they were old enough to eat on their own.
We were able to take these babies in through our Safe Kitten Program, which guarantees that vulnerable orphaned little ones like this litter will have a safe place with us to stay and grow strong. Thanks to this program, kittens like Aurora, Allora, Adelyn and Amira will survive — and, very soon, will be old enough to find forever families of their own.
This summer, on a Native American Reservation Rescue mission, we rescued a litter of homeless puppies who were suffering with porcupine-quill injuries to their faces. Fortunately, our tireless team was able to catch and save every puppy … except for one, who was so frightened that he fled from us. We tried everything we could think of to lure him, but as the hours went on, we feared for his life. This puppy couldn’t eat or drink with the quills in his face.
On the last night of our visit, a miracle happened: we approached him slowly, singing softly, “It’s okay, sweet little brother. Everything will be okay.” Finally, the exhausted puppy laid down to rest, and we were able to scoop him up and carry him to safety, naming him Little Brother.
We rushed him to Advanced Veterinary Care in Salt Lake, worried his little body wouldn’t be strong enough to survive his infected porcupine quill wounds. But not only did he survive after the quill removal, but he quickly regained strength. And, just weeks later, a loving adopter stepped up. Little Brother now has a home. The scars on his face tell a story — of love conquering all.
