Thanks to your support, countless domestic and wild animals had the opportunity for a fresh start in the past year. From beloved pets like dogs and cats to majestic creatures like ducks and eagles, you made it possible for us to give back to the community that has been so generous to us. Although we wish we could showcase every success story that you made possible in 2023, here are just a few of the lives you played a vital role in saving.
YOUR 2023 IMPACT - LIFESAVING COMPASSION.
Marcel’s Miraculous Recovery & Comeback
This darling little Siamese baby was dropped at the door of a shelter that exclusively houses dogs along with several of his siblings. Looking for a place for them all to go, the shelter reached out to us, and we immediately agreed to take them into our care.
With so many new cats and kittens coming in we called on our foster families for help and within a few days they were all settling into their temporary homes. After a few weeks in his foster home, Marcel’s foster mom noticed he was getting particularly round. While we know this can mean a few different things, we started our typical course of treatment. What we didn’t expect was to find out that Marcel was severely constipated and would later be diagnosed with mega colon. Kittens with mega colon often do not have positive outcomes but we were determined to try and save this baby, he was too young and had too much life ahead of him. After weeks of treatment with special foods, medications, massages, vitamins and laxatives, his health seemed to continuously decline.
The weekend finally came when his quality of life had to be taken into consideration. He was so round and lethargic all he could do was lay in his foster mom’s lap and snuggle. In a true last-ditch effort, a staff member gave him a firm abdominal until they were finally blessed with the smelliest kitten toot imaginable. That night Marcel finally had a normal bowel movement and slowly he became mobile again. Over the next week he was suddenly energetic enough to be playful and all the treatments were finally working as intended. After a few more weeks of monitoring and consistent litterbox use, Marcel was deemed healthy enough to be adopted and was sent to his forever home where he has a wonderful family dedicated to treating his lifelong constipation and a feline companion to be by his side through it all.
marcel soaking in every bit of his new family’s love
Marcel filled with joy and contentment
Baby & Chubs:
From Abandonment to loving family
These two canines were left with only themselves and their babies for companionship and ultimately survival. Having been abandoned in an upstairs apartment, a neighbor grew concerned after hearing them barking but not seeing anyone coming to care for them for days.
After our animal control department was made aware of the situation that Baby and Chubs were living in, they responded to the call for help and both dogs, along with their babies, were transported back to the shelter for care. Chubs and Baby were understandably nervous upon arrival, having been left alone without food for days while watching over their puppies to ensure their safety. Our staff gave them a few days to settle in and when they were ready, Baby was sent into an experienced foster home with her puppies and Chubs was placed available for adoption. Days and weeks went by, suddenly Chubs had been here for a month with no interested parties and Baby’s puppies were weaned and ready for adoption.
Then the surprise ending nobody expected happened!
Chubs finally had a family that was interested in him and not only that, after speaking with our care staff and hearing that he had come in with Baby, they decided they wanted to take her too! After the puppies all found their forever homes, and Baby was spayed, she was reunited with her partner Chubs and they are all settled in to their new home. From a former breeding pair to retired couch buddies for life, we couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for these two deserving canines.
baby and chubs
safe and sound in their new home
baby & Chubs - friends forever
Van Gogh’s “Tail” of Resilience
Every year we take in dozens of orphaned cottontail rabbits. While we provide them with all the love and care we are capable of, unfortunately not all of them are so lucky as this little guy.
As many of us in the Coulee Region know, cottontail rabbits’ nest in shallow parts of grass, oftentimes in our yards. Mom will cover her nest with leaves and fur that she pulls from her hind legs and for the safety of the babies will only check on them at dawn and dusk. Because moms disguise their nests so well, it can be easy to walk by one and never even know it. This was the unfortunate circumstance of our little baby Van Gogh. His nest was so well hidden that it was accidentally run over by a lawn mower and Van Gogh was the only survivor. As you may have guessed by the name, he didn’t walk away unscathed, while the lawn mower spared his life, it took one of his ears. The understandably shaken homeowner immediately grabbed the surviving baby and brought it to us right away for help.
After some time here with us, being treated with antibiotics and pain meds, the wound was healed, and he was kept safe until he was able to be released! While cottontails are no exception and rely on their sense of hearing for survival, they have many other senses that can adapt to help them survive despite missing an ear. Van Gogh was released nearby, and staff have seen him wandering around since then- he gets to live his best life in the wild and we get to keep an eye on him to make sure he’s adapting.
Van Gogh Thriving Against all Odds
Your compassion and generosity make happy endings like these possible. With your continued support, we can help thousands of animals, just like Marcel, Baby, Chubs, and Van Gogh, not only survive but thrive. On behalf of all the animals, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to you.
