HOME/OUTDOOR Cathy spent years volunteering with animal rescue groups, but it was her experience during Hurricane Katrina that convinced her to start her own non-profit. When she saw TV reports about people crammed into the Superdome, she felt sad—and worried about animals these people had left behind … She checked Louisiana’s Craigslist (it was in 2005, before Facebook): the site was full of pleas for help to save animals trapped in empty houses. “I got on the first flight when the airport opened, and went down there,” Cathy says. “There were no hotels available. I had to rent a car to sleep in.” For the next two weeks, following the lead of a local rescue group, Cathy was checking out addresses for signs of life. Every day she drove to the city with cans of water and food for lost animals. For the return trip, she had to rent an SUV: she was coming back with six dogs. Once home, she started asking for donations, and
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people responded. “I got all the dogs fixed up, then adopted,” Cathy remembers. All, but one. The one that didn’t get adopted was a cocker named Muffin. “She was really a project,” Cathy admits. Rescuers had found Muffin in a New Orleans’s apartment that had been vacated. “The owners came back after Katrina, but left her,” Cathy says. “Muffin was so weak she couldn’t stand up, but she still could howl— and she was howling. After we found her, we put her on fluids; it helped her make the trip to Los Angeles.” Being old and malnourished weren’t Muffin’s only problems: she was blind, and she had heartworms. Since traditional treatment ran the risk of putting Muffin into cardiac arrest, Cathy had to raise funds for a microscopic surgery. It was a seven-hour-long ordeal during which doctors pulled the worms out—and saved the dog. Muffin’s eyes and mange were taken care of as well, and she lived another two and a half years. Cathy cites Muffin’s story as an inspiration for her rescue mission. How it became a cocker rescue mission, even Cathy cannot explain.
Anna Shreeves with Dudley
“I formed a non-profit Katrina Dog Rescue,” she says. “Before I knew it, people were calling me: ‘Are you the one rescuing cockers? Rescue this cocker!’” She never said no, and soon people started saying: “Cathy rescues cockers.” Even though it wasn’t planned, Cathy now sees value in focusing on just one breed: “I can pass on my knowledge to people who adopt,” she says.
Quincey
“Every five-to-six weeks a cocker gets hit by a car,” Cathy laments. “We have a leash law, but people don’t put leashes on their dogs. People think that the dog should know not to run into the street. No, you have to be responsible for your dog!” Otherwise, sad things happen. Two months ago Doctor Parra from Arroyo Grande called Cathy with one of those heart-breaking questions: would she accept a five-month-old puppy hit by a car? The owners had brought in the puppy a week prior for an exam, but didn’t follow the vet’s orders to take the puppy for surgery. Instead, they returned to ask Dr. Parra to put the puppy to sleep. “When Dr. Parra said ‘puppy,’ I quickly said, ‘YES! Don’t put him to sleep!’” Cathy recalls. “I raced over there that night and met him. It was on a Sunday. On Monday morning, I transferred him to an orthopedic surgeon, and he got his fractured humerus operated on.”
Clark Kent
Thanks to Cathy, this story has a happy ending; Quincy is now seven months old and is doing well. Cathy is confident that she won’t have trouble finding him a nice new home. Unfortunately, not all dogs are so lucky. Sweet five-year-old Dudley has been at Camp Cocker since last Halloween, when he was rescued from the high kill rural shelter in Hesperia. The poor dog had a severe case of pneumonia that had him hospitalized for four weeks. He is healthy now, but out of precaution, he should steer clear of potentially sick dogs—which means that instead of playing at dog parks, he should play with his humans. He really is a charmer, easy to fall in love with, and everyone at Camp Cocker believes that it’d best for him to be an only pet. “He’d be an amazing dog for those who enjoy a cuddling wiggler to share their couch or their bed with, and who love fun walks on the beach (Dudley loves the beach!)”, Cathy says, but so far Dudley’s had no takers. I’m so rooting for Dudley, too! Could you help find him a home? To volunteer, donate, inquire about adoptions, go to www.campcocker.com For boarding services, go to www.campwigglebutt.com
A U G U S T
2012
Journal PLUS