11/23/2014
Please read and donate an item to a truly worthy cause
OK fans, many of you have asked for an update on the shelter situation that we stumbled across on Monday and which I posted about as a late night post. There were 20+ dogs left in the shelter when we left there, because we had no room to put them in the car and nowhere to take them. One of the dogs had been living in the dark, unhandled by any human hands for two years. That poor soul is going to be a challenge as he has no trust in people and I am not sure he is going to be salvageable. The shelter has a single light for the entire kennel area and the dog's waste is washed into an open sewer drain which opens up into each pen. It is horrific.
Marilyn who is pictured here is one of the dogs we removed. We thought initially that she had a broken leg as we had been told she got hung by her leg on a run. As it turns out, she had osteomyelitis in the knee (her knee was septic and the bone was infected) and her ligament was completely destroyed. She has had her knee cleaned and flushed and she is on antibiotics I can't even pronounce. She is also the proud owner of a fake ligament to stabilize her knee. We are hopeful we will not have to amputate.
I am appalled at the pain she endured as she has been there for months. That said, screaming at this shelter and raising hell is going to have no benefit. Those that run it are stuck with the worst facility that could possibly have been designed. The county in this case is dirt poor and their schools aren't even funded properly. There is no state money for this situation either. That means the fix for this is going to be private. I have a germ of an idea that I think could make a grand change across the United States over time, but for now, we are dealing with the immediate crisis. I will post about a long-term solution in a week or two once all of us can meet to discuss logistics. For now, I am not sharing the name of the facility because I want to ensure we get change, not hate mail because that will not be productive. I want to partner with these places to get improvements. We are finding most places want help, they just don't have any resources.
In the meantime, we have 20+ dogs in need of care. Most of them are just filthy and all of them are parasite ridden. Several have sarcoptic mange. This was not my Thanksgiving wish, but I am happy that we discovered this because no dog should live without any hope of a day with the sun on their face.
If you would like to donate, we need cash for vetting and boarding these guys and we need specific supplies I will list below. If you would like to donate to help these dogs, including Marilyn, you can donate here: http://bigfluffydogs.com/pay-online.php.
We are also snapping up all the Kuranda beds we can, preferably in the medium to large sizes to fit small kennel runs in shelters without a place for dogs. These will be donated to various shelters that also have dogs on wet concrete. It's a great way to help a dog you will never meet. You can donate a Kuranda bed here: http://kuranda.com/donate/6860.
We also need these supplies:
Polartec (Classic 200) bolts of fabric that can be cut to provide warm bedding for Moms and pups and dogs in shelters that are exposed to cold temperatures. The best place we've found to buy: http://www.milldirecttextiles.com/fullrollseries.asp?dept=4&id=1414503910525425406575
Re*****on leashes: http://www.amazon.com/Coastal-Pet-Products-DCPR0216GRN-Re*****on/dp/B0017JFOMM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416516853&sr=8-1&keywords=remington+pet+leash
Durapet bowls (won't slip on floors) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PKM10C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VE4NP3KLJEGI&coliid=IWOGSWH5AM8UW&psc=1
Shampoo for dogs: http://www.amazon.com/Tomlyn-Pearls-Sensitive-Shampoo-1-Gallon/dp/B0012GK4NE/ref=sr_1_cc_5?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1416517156&sr=1-5-catcorr&keywords=gallon+dog+shampoo
Toys to keep them entertained: http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Classic-Dog-Toy-Large/dp/B0002AR0I8/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416517227&sr=1-2&keywords=kong (medium and large are best, but we do use small)
We do have an Amazon wishlist for those that want to help: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3VE4NP3KLJEGI/ref=topnav_lists_1
Thanks as always. Without you all, none of this is possible.
PS Mailing address:
BFDR
1105 16th Ave S, Ste D
Nashville, TN 37212
