to brave the elements and "guard" their owners' property.
aggressive and protective of their space), once they realized we were there to give them treats, food
and attention, the majority of them melted into friendly puddles of wiggling, wagging, squealing love,
simply starving for attention and drinking up every ounce of it.
knocked us over! "This effort is so important to me because I've seen a
change in these animals," Rachel told me. "I see in their eyes how
appreciative they are and how much even the small things we do for them
mean. I've seen `ferocious' dogs turn into playful puppies and sad,
frightened puppies turn into happy, bouncing, playful things.
I believe every animal has a soul and every creature deserves love and
happiness, so I want to bring it to these poor souls in any way that I can.
They deserve better than what they were dealt and if I can't physically
remove them from the situation and place them in a better one, then I at
had established relationships with, people came out of their small, rundown homes to greet us, some
of them with wide-eyed children in tow. Most of the pet owners asked for dog or cat food and
appeared genuinely appreciative for the help, some smiling with gap-toothed grins, their weathered
faces glowing like kids on Christmas morning.
sure every pet household got what they needed and making note of what she'd need to bring next
time. Danielle and Jennifer appeared to be more of the diplomats of the group, engaging with the
people and gently advising them about proper pet care when it seemed appropriate to do so, all
without sounding judgmental or superior. I was so impressed with their patience and restraint.
careful in how you educate them because we are guests in their neighborhood and it's easy to offend
anybody," Danielle told me. "No matter what your personal emotions are about something, you have
to speak to them with respect. If they don't want us in this
neighborhood I guarantee you there will be folks who won't
allow us here."
suture at least her owner had her spayed. Too bad she
already had her outside on a chain, though.
family we visited either had a tethered, sick, injured, pregnant
or nursing animal. Even though low-cost spay and neuter is indeed available in many
communities here in Georgia, few of these people seemed to know about these services or simply
hadn't taken advantage of them. As a result, some homes we visited were simply overwhelmed with
too many animals, including one house with two female dogs that had both given birth a couple of
weeks apart, resulting in 13 canines under one roof. Another family had been living with 15 small dogs
in a tiny, 800-square-foot house and were relieved at the concept of surrendering a few of them to us.