February Foster of the Month: Leslie Hudson

There are those who are drawn to give all of themselves to a specific cause. Leslie is one of those people and she has given her entire life to animal welfare and rescue.


I'm not sure it's possible to list everything she does for animals in need, but I hope to give you a glimpse. Leslie serves on the board of the Bedford Humane Society, something that is currently very time-intensive due to our desperate need for more volunteers. She is also involved in other area rescue groups outside of Bedford and very active in the Bedford County Animal Response Team (BCART). Through BCART, Leslie and her fellow volunteers have responded to several hoarding and other animal emergency situations over the past year alone. She is usually the first point of contact for law enforcement and spends her time coordinating other volunteers to assist alongside her. She does this in addition to holding down a job and maintaining her home.

Beyond all of that, Leslie serves as the Kitten Foster Coordinator for BHS and fosters MANY animals herself.


Leslie works tirelessly to care for the many animals in her care. After working all day, she returns home to feed and walk and clean her own furbabies, as well as her many fosters. When that work is done, usually not before 10pm, she gets to work returning what foster-related phone calls she can at that late hour and then reading and responding the numerous BHS-related emails she has received during the day. I've received my fair share of 2am email replies from her!

Perhaps most important is her work saving litter upon litter of kittens. Cats and kittens are often overlooked by people seeking a companion animal. Despite their loving and playful personalities, few people step up to foster or adopt these sweet babies. Leslie fights every day to change that. She is the voice of these forgotten ones, the ones that are treated so carelessly by so many. 

Some of you may have noticed that the 2010 kitten season never seemed to end here in Bedford County and surrounding areas. That, combined with the already high numbers of unwanted cats showing up at the pound or handed over to us, has resulted in an overload of cats in our custody. These overwhelming numbers prevent us from saving any more from the pound until we can free up some space.


To that end, early in 2010, Leslie began our kitten transport program, working with a rescue group that will transport kittens out of state for adoption in an area where they don't experience the same overpopulation problems we do here. Keep in mind that she must coordinate getting the kittens tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV and vaccinated before they are able to go on the transport. She must also closely track their weights, as the rescue will only take kittens within very strict weight guidelines which change frequently, and she must maintain very detailed records for the rescue and state reporting. Then, once a week or so, she must travel in the early hours of the morning, to meet the transport an hour away. Often, she must also travel back that same evening to collect any kittens that weren't accepted by the rescue and bring them home to continue fostering. In the past year, she has fostered, transported, and cared for almost 200 cats and kittens.


Impressive? Let me add that Leslie does all of this every day without complaint while also ensuring that those around her feel appreciated and supported. Her concern goes beyond animal welfare. I am amazed when she can sense the stress in my emails and takes time in the middle of the night to send me a kind word in response to make sure I'm ok.


Folks, this is what an angel looks like and we are so lucky to have her as part of our community.

Leslie and one of her many foster babies, CiCi

Interested in adopting your very own rodent control technician and lap warmer? Visit our website to see photos of CiCi and more of our current adoptables.

Interested in fostering? Email sunshine@bhsva.org to have an application emailed to you.

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Clarabelle and Mowgli

Clarabelle is a small, very playful girl who would love a forever family of her own. She is simply adorable and has been waiting for quite some time.

Mowgli is a sweet young man who is waiting for his chance at a forever home. Sadly, because people hold so many superstitions about black cats, he is likely to spend most of his days waiting. Won't you give this sweet little face a chance?

For more information or to meet these and other beautiful felines, call 540-586-6100 or email info@bhsva.org.

Tiny, Terrified, And Broken

Oh, she's coming with us...

A few weeks ago, Becky and Scott made one of their regular trips to the pound to pull some puppies. You might recall from January's Foster Home of the Month article that they save an unbelievable number of puppies every year.

This visit would be fateful for one tiny, terrified, broken Rottweiler puppy.

Just minutes before Becky and Scott's arrival, Animal Control had brought in this sad little girl. Pound staff directed Becky and Scott back to the Quarantine area where this little girl sat, shaking form fright, confusion, sadness, pain.

We suspect, looking at her crooked jaw and missing eye, that someone may have kicked this innocent, precious little girl in the head. She was underweight and malnourished, clearly struggling to eat on her own. Her front legs were not growing correctly. There was nothing adoptable about this little girl. In the pound, she would likely sit, alone and frightened, until her time was up.

But when Becky picked her up and held her, Scott's only response was, "Oh, she's coming with us."

There was no way either of them would leave the pound without her.

They named her Gracie Lee and fell in love immediately. Becky had to hand-feed her cereal for the first three days until Gracie learned how to eat on her own. They showed her love and gave her a safe place to play and a cozy bed to sleep in.

With Becky and Scott's care and dedication, Gracie has improved significantly. She has put on some weight and her legs are beginning to function better.

Our wonderful friends at Pawsafe have found the perfect home for her and she will be leaving us soon to begin her new life.

I suspect she will be taking a large part of Becky and Scott's hearts with her.

Visit our website to donate to our Extra Mile Fund and help us save more injured furbabies.

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Rosie and Smokey

Rosie was found as a stray, so her breed mix is really just our best guess. She is about the size of a Springer Spaniel, about 18 inches tall at the shoulders & weighing about 38 lbs. We estimate her birthdate at December, 2009. She is an exuberant & athletic gal, quick to learn new things. She loves her toys, especially Frisbees and balls. Rosie is probably too active for small children or elderly or small dogs. She is currently spending most of her time outdoors, but can be crated and likely would quickly learn to be housebroken. Her best match would be an active owner with a fenced yard and perhaps an energetic dog. For more information email LMHANDVTM@msn.com or call 540-586-6100.

Smokey first came to us as a stray. This handsome boy is slender and white with grey patches. Smokey loves to be held and purrs a lot. He does not seem to be afraid of dogs and gets along great with other cats. He is playful and loves to play find the mouse. For more information, please contact info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

We Saved Three

Just got back from the pound and they are full.

This is the email I received from a foster who went to the pound Friday to pick up Joan Jett for temporary fostering until Save A Lab Rescue could get her. Wendy followed the statement up with a list of some of the newer, highly adoptable dogs we hadn't seen in our last visit on Tuesday.

Sighing, I forwarded the email to the rest of the board. I received an immediate response from Annette and Michelle that they would go to the pound the following day.

I then emailed a few of our open foster homes alerting them to the situation, hoping they might be able to take a new foster dog.

We saved three.

This is the report I received from Michelle on Saturday evening. Thankfully, most of Annette's foster dogs had been adopted in recent weeks, so she had space for three more. Stella is the Shepherd mix that had been there for more than a month. Sherry is a pretty Golden mix who thinks she's a lap dog. And Smokie is a Chihuahua/Lhasa Apso mix who had been surrendered to the pound for unknown reasons.

Michelle also posted photos of several other dogs that had been picked up as strays since our visit on Tuesday and posted them to Facebook in hopes of locating an owner. Within an hour, the owner of one of them had been located thanks to this effort. The two large St. Bernards have a placement option, as well. So, they will be safe even if they are not reclaimed by their people.

A great effort for some time spent at the pound on a Saturday morning.

Keep in mind, though, that the pound is never empty. If there is even one dog or cat sitting in a kennel/cage without a family to call their own, then that is one too many.

Interested in adopting? You can adopt from the pound or you can adopt from the Humane Society or other local rescue. Either way, you are saving lives. Because when you adopt from us, that opens up space for us to pull another animal out of the pound.

Interested in fostering? Email sunshine@bhsva.org to request an application. The more approved foster homes we have, the more lives we can save.

Here are two that will have a happily forever after thanks to fostering...


Stella




Sherry



BHS Adoptables of the Week: Miranda & Mariah

Both of these beautiful little girls are finished caring for their babies and are ready for a family that will care for them!

Sweet momma Miranda was taken to the pound, along her with three adorable little kittens, after someone found her as a stray. All of her babies have gone on to forever homes and now she waits for her turn. For more information, please contact info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

Sweet little Mariah was only about a year old when she became a mother. We pulled her from the pound as soon as she was done delivering her beautiful kittens. She is very tiny, sweet, calm, and was an excellent mother despite her young age. For more information on this petite little girl, contact info@bhsva.org or call 540-586-6100.

Welcome New Foster Home Families!

I wanted to thank the newest additions to our Foster Home Families. Since the start of 2012 just two weeks ago, we've added 4 new foster homes to our network. This is outstanding and means that so many more lives will be saved thanks to the willingness of these families to open up their homes to animals in need.

Thank you to:
The Vendetti Family
The Hinze Family
The Fowler Family
The Powell Family

We are so happy to have you as part of our family. Your addition means that our currently overwhelmed foster families can get some much-needed support and that more adoptable furbabies at the pound can spend their time waiting in a comfortable home for their forever family instead of on the cold, hard floor of a pound kennel or cage.

Together we make a difference!

Want to help an animal go from this...



to this?

 Email sunshine@bhsva.org or visit our website http://bhsva.org/yourhelp/foster.htm.

BHS Adoptables of the Week: Kittens & Freddy

Found as strays, a Bedford resident rescued these sweet kittens from the cold and brought them to the safety of BHS to wait for a forever home. These and many other sweet, playful, cuddly kittens are waiting for a chance to show that they, too, make wonderful companions. Clockwise from top left: Grey male named Smoke, Tortie Female named Sweets,  Black & White Male named Mittens, Orange Female named Angelina. Call 540-586-6100 or email info@bhsva.org for information.

Sweet Freddy just wants a chance to have a family of his own. He was one of several dogs we pulled from the pound several months ago. His pound friends, including his sister Priscilla, have all found forever homes. And still this sweet boy waits. We don’t know why Freddy keeps getting passed over, but despite losing his family, Freddy remains a very sweet and hopeful Retriever mix who would love to find a new family that would be his forever. Please contact Annette at info@bhsva.org or (540) 587-9477 for more information!

January Foster of the Month: Becky McCraw

Thank you to Becky and her husband, Scott, for making their home a puppy sanctuary that prevents entire litters of puppies from ending up at the Bedford County Pound.

Puppies are at exceptionally high risk of contracting deadly illnesses while in the pound because they have not yet been vaccinated. They also take up valuable kennel space that can lead to older dogs being euthanized before they have a chance at adoption.

In 2011 alone, Becky fostered almost 200 dogs and puppies until they could be transported to Connecticut for adoption through Pawsafe. She also fostered many more more dogs, puppies, and cats until they could go to a longer-term foster or could be adopted locally.

These sounds like daunting numbers for one couple, right? Keep in mind that Becky and Scott care for these animals while both working full time. Becky also serves as Bedford Humane Society’s Board President and our Puppy Foster Coordinator. She attends nearly every event we hold. She maintains extensive custody and medical records for all of her fosters. And she and Scott donate their time selflessly helping to maintain our Headquarters.

Becky visits the pound regularly to intercept any puppy litters that show up there. She also works directly with the public taking in unwanted/unplanned litters of puppies. Under this program, BHS takes ownership of the mother dog and her puppies, caring for them until the puppies are weaned. Becky then gets the mother dog spayed before returning her to her previous owner and the puppies are either adopted locally or transported to Pawsafe for adoption out-of-state. All puppies are also spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.

And beyond all of this, Becky remains steadily committed to saving every single animal she possibly can. She spends her days and nights worrying over dogs and cats sitting in the pound, at risk of being killed. She assembles more kennels and gives up more of her own living space to accommodate as many as she and Scott can care for. And no matter how many she saves, she is compelled to do more and more. Becky begs me every week to find more foster homes to help. She feels an absolute responsibility for the animals that others throw away.
With dog and cat overpopulation an enormous issue in Bedford City/County, the service that Becky and Scott provide is invaluable to our community. Bedford Humane Society thanks you, Becky and Scott, for your unending service to the people and animals of our community. You are heroes!

New for 2012!

New for 2012, we will be highlighting Adoptable Pets of the Week, as well as Foster Homes of the Month. Our foster homes are the heart and soul of our adoption program. Because we do not yet have a No-Kill Shelter in Bedford County, all of our adoptable animals are housed in foster homes. We want to express our appreciation for each and every one of those who have stepped up to foster for us. You are all heroes.

Fostering can be an incredibly rewarding experience and fostering just one dog or cat saves many more lives than just that one. Every dog or cat we pull from the pound frees up kennel/cage space so that other dogs/cats don't have to be euthanized while they wait for their chance at adoption. Quite often, the families or individuals that adopt our animals are also deeply impacted by the joy of bringing a new furbaby into their family. But even more, our foster families make an enormous impact on the life of the dog or cat they foster. They give new hope to an animal that has lost so much.

If you have ever been curious about animal fostering, please contact us today to find out more. You will find precious few experiences more powerful than looking into the eyes of a dog or cat who knows that you have just saved them.

Adoptables of the Week: Petie and Mena

Petie is a very sweet 3 ½ year old Dane/Catahoula mix that is housebroken, crate-trained, and does well with cats, dogs, and young children. Petie was surrendered to us by his previous owner  who could no longer care for him and he is now waiting patiently at his foster home until his new forever family comes to meet him. He likes to ride in the car and does very well at the vet’s office! In his previous home, he was also trained on an electronic fence. If you would like to meet this perfect gentleman, please email info@bhsva.org or call (540) 586-6100.

Mena is what we call a "torbie", a tortoiseshell with tabby stripes. Her photos don't capture her unique beauty well. Born in Fall of 2009, she was found as a stray kitten by a little girl & nursed to good health until the family realized the young girl was allergic to cats. Mena is playful & kitten-like at times, but calm & content to hang-out much of the time. She is opinionated about who she likes--usually assuming that she doesn't like dogs or cats she meets, but she has lived in contact with other cats for months. She would be best paired with playful but gentle half-grown kittens. To meet Miss Mena, contact LMHANDVTM@msn.com or 586-6100.