In the past month we at The Ark have learned so much about human nature and we have gotten to know quite a few unsung heroes in this community. I thought I would share some of their stories.
A dog is lying in a very busy road and cannot get up. A passer-by stops to help him and at the same time tries to find the owner but is unsuccessful. He finally puts the dog into his vehicle and a phone call is made to The Ark asking for help. The dog needs immediate vet care and he is at least 45 minutes away. I tell the lady if she can get him here we will help.
An hour later the dog is delivered to The Ark with an envelope; inside, a $100 bill and a note saying, “Hope this helps.” A phone call is placed to one of the volunteers for transport to the vet. They don’t think twice and hop in the car and transport Bernie to the vet. The vet manages to squeeze in Bernie as she is booked for the day.
After a thorough exam it is determined that Bernie is underweight and very sore, perhaps from being grazed by a car, his back legs are somewhat deformed, causing even more pain, and he is in desperate need of a good grooming.
Bernie is sent home on pain medications. It is too painful for him to be x-rayed. He will go back at a later date to be sedated and x-rayed.
All of these people involved in Bernie’s rescue are total strangers but they have one thing in common: they choose to help an animal in need.
A young lady is driving down the road and finds a puppy in the middle of the road. After going door to door with no avail she takes the puppy home and gives it a much-needed bath and treats it for an extreme case of fleas. The next day she takes it to the vet for a thorough exam. She then picks up just a few things for the puppy, food, a bed, collar, many toys, treats, and this isn’t even her dog. She calls The Ark to see if we can help find this little girl a home.
It just so happened that The Ark has some huge fans and supporters who had been five years without a dog and we just knew this would be a perfect fit. The phone calls were made and the two parties met and got to know each other, and little miss Sophie went home with her new family that same day.
Want to know if her new home is a good family? Well, they had just taken in a cat that had come to their house that was badly injured, so of course they took it to the vet, and $500 later the cat is back at their house with a broken pelvis. They fully intent to keep the little gal and she is recovering quite nicely. This couple has also been known to pay for the neighbors’ dog to get groomed just because they felt sorry for it. I think Sophie fell into something pretty good.
A lady rescues three tiny kittens, all with upper respiratory trouble and all too young to be away from their mother. She takes them home, gets them vet care and bottle feeds them every few hours, as they are too young to eat on their own. Once the kittens are healthy enough and old enough she brings them to The Ark to be put up for adoption. She spent many a sleepless night but was committed to saving these babies. She also donated food and meds for them and made a generous donation to The Ark to help with their care. Pretty amazing, huh?
A very kind lady walks through the front door and hands me an envelope and tells me she wishes it could be more and also asks me not to open it until she is gone. I open the envelope and am shocked: A cashier’s check inside for $5,000. There are not enough words to tell her how much we appreciate her. Her support and generosity leave us speechless. Not only is she a huge supporter but she is a very dear friend.
These are the stories that no one knows. They did not do it for the recognition or pat on the back. They did it because that is who they are kind, caring individuals. There are no YouTube videos or pleas for donations, there are only silent kind acts of some of the most wonderful people in our community, giving their own time and money. There is no one hero in this community, there are countless numbers of silent heroes doing what they do best: making a difference.
With all of the craziness in the world it is nice to know that there are angels among us, the unsung heroes that make the world a better place for all of the four-legged friends out there.
Please join us for a bake sale outside The Hollywood Pet Salon on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. We also have the Walls of Love fundraiser going on. You can purchase a tile memorializing a pet or loved one to be placed on the walls of the new sanctuary for $25. For more information, please contact Lorraine at The Hollywood Pet Salon, 532-7387.
Building update: The slab is being poured as I write this. The cost is approximately $10,000. Once that is paid for the account will sit at $32,000. Keep in mind all of the work done so far has been paid for in full. Once the slab is poured all that is left is the interior work, which is going to be very costly. That means you will see us out there doing as much fundraising as we can in order to complete the building. If you would like to help or donate materials, please contact Lorraine at The Hollywood Pet Salon, 532-7387.
Thank you for your continued support, and as always, thank you for reading our column.
