Compassion Without Borders for International Potcake Day

Boca wishes you a Happy International Potcake Day!

Before fostering and subsequently adopting Boca, I had never heard of a potcake. Since getting to know her and staying connected with the shelter that saved her, I have become a huge fan of these island mutts from The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos. I sponsor a sweet girl that reminds me of my dog, Lasya, with a monthly donation. Through forming a local potcake meetup group I've gotten to meet many others that came from the same shelter and as special as Boca is, I've found that her easygoing, charming personality is not unique. When our potcakes are together at the dog park, they seem to form their own cool club of chill dogs. Boca endears people everywhere she goes, from her obedience class teacher to her ophthalmologist. She is an awesome ambassador and today we are celebrating all of her friends, family and distant cousins in loving homes and spreading the word about those in great need of help.
 

Jorden - Boca lookalike hoping for a home of her own. (Photo courtesy of HSGB)

 
In the past few days I've become aware of an urgent need for adoptive and foster homes as The Humane Society of Grand Bahama desperately tries to keep their head above water as the only animal welfare organization on an island overrun with stray, neglected dogs. Every year they take in close to 1,400 dogs with a local adoption rate of less than 10%. The only hope for most of these dogs is rescue sponsorship, foster homes and adoption outside of The Bahamas and so they are hoping to find placement for at least 50 dogs by the end of the month. International rescue draws some criticism as people question why dogs would be brought in from another country when there are dogs in our own cities or states that need homes. Having been in involved in rescue and adoption for many years, I've fostered dogs found on my own block, transported dogs from neighboring Nebraska, adopted Colorado dogs, an Arkansas dog and a Bahamas dog. Here in metro Denver we are not accustomed to seeing stray populations living on the street, but this is the reality for potcakes and other indigenous street dogs around the world. Boca was starving and trying to survive with her puppies in a den she made outside of Freeport when HSGB rescued her. Her story and her sweet soul have touched my heart, and this shelter has gained my loyal support for all the animals they take in to its yellow stucco walls, all the dogs they feed and house and love for years as they wait for homes of their own. I believe in compassion without geography, and I am committed to being an advocate for these deserving dogs.

Nancy - coming to Colorado to be fostered by my dear friend! (Photo courtesy of HSGB)

As pictures were posted of dogs that local rescue organization Outpaws hoped to bring to Colorado this weekend, I shared them on Facebook and implored friends to consider fostering. One of my best friends gave in to my hounding agreed to and applied to foster a senior girl, Nancy, who has been living at HSGB for six years. She and Boca would have no doubt known each other there, maybe napped together in the sun. Nancy’s gentle hound-dog face struck a chord with my friend – and even if you’ve never fostered before, or don’t think you have room or that you’d be able to give them up, that’s sometimes all it takes - a connection made with a face a world away – and why I will continue to share rescue dogs on social media. I started to wonder about the possibility of fostering myself (for real, with no possibility of "failing" this time, because two dogs are just right, thank you very much). I talked to my dad last night, since he is the one home during the day with the dogs, and he was on board. It looks like Keemo - a smaller young boy - is going to be a good fit for us - a foster ginger bro! I'm so excited to meet him, we are just finalizing the transport details and foster application. Every foster home that opens its doors to a potcake is making it possible for HSGB to continue its tireless work on the island. I can't think of a better way to celebrate International Potcake Day than saying yes to saving a life.

Keemo - coming to Colorado to stay with The Ginger Sisters for a while. (Photo courtesy of HSGB)

 
How can you help?
 
Donate to The Kohn Foundation, a Colorado 501c3 organization dedicated to raising funds for HSGB.

Foster a potcake! Contact Tip Burrows at The Humane Society of Grand Bahama to find out if there is a partnering rescue organization in your area. Colorado residents can apply to foster through Outpaws.

Vote for HSGB to win 500 lbs of dogfood! HSGB is entered into Open Farm’s Feed A Rescue giveaway with a chance to win a whole lot of food for hungry potcakes. Please vote and share daily!

Spread the word by sharing this post. If you are a proud potcake parent, help us celebrate today by sharing photos on social media with the hashtag #InternationalPotcakeDay.

Be the Change for Animals: We Add Up - An Interview with Ruby's Rescuer

As the quarterly Blog the Change for Animals event approached, I knew I wanted to feature Ruby's angel: the woman who spotted her, posted her to a rescue network and pulled her from a dismal southern shelter. 

Photo credit Angie V. Heringer

Angie Heringer is the one-woman force behind Arkansas Angels for Animals and her job is one many of us would struggle to stomach. Day after day she visits what can only be called dog pounds, scours the dark, dank, dirty runs and posts their inhabitants to a network of rescues - casting a line out for hope - securing a foster, adopt or rescue commitment so she can return to bail the animals out. They don't have long.

Photo Credit Angie V. Heringer

Below Angie answers my questions about her work: 

Please describe a typical day in rescue: Every day is so different. Today there is a little girl with a broken leg, found on the highway. She will be put down (she's in a vet office) if no rescue is found. There is a momma and babies that need rescue. They will go to the pound if no rescue is found. There is a kennel with six dogs. One kennel has two beagles. The momma beagle has a huge, basketball-sized tumor. She needs rescue. We rescued a beagle from a pound - no one knew he was blind, so we pulled him. He's in a temporary foster and we are trying to raise funds for surgery. We have 27 dogs that live in a trailer. We've pulled 12 so far and there are 15 left. We did a fundraiser and raised enough to buy 130 beds (animal rescue aid) that we provided to the pounds that needed beds - my heart really goes out to those, because that is the worst environment. I have over 20 dogs in foster, so it's continuous to juggling keeping up with all. We have an adoption event this weekend, so there is preparation for that. Someone called and said they had some dog houses, (which we desperately need) but it's over hour away. I had two calls this morning, dogs that need rescue. People call me everyday needing rescue for their dogs. Rescue is juggling and trying to save who we can.

What is the specific plight of animals in your region of the country? The hounds in the pounds. So many sit there, sight unseen. Never heard. Never touched, never to get out of those pounds. Only two ways out: life or death, rescue or euthaniasia. It breaks my heart that this was almost Ruby's fate. 

Why should people consider adopting a rescue dog? Because we know that for every dog you "buy" one (or more) dies. If you adopt, you save that ONE, and open space up for another one that would have died if no space. So it's a 2-for-1: save a life, and really, 3-for-1, because they come into your life and save your life!

Photo credit Angie V. Heringer

What is the hardest thing about working in rescue? Sadly, the people. Angie sees the worst-case-scenarios, the most unimaginable cases of abuse and neglect, and yet she carries on and maintains a goodness in her heart that spills over in obvious delight when she unites an animal with its foster, adoptive, or rescue home. 

What is the most rewarding thing about working in rescue? The dogs. Seeing them change from lifeless to FULL of love. Amazing to see how appreciative, how loving, how giving, how "forgiving" these sweet fursouls are - amazing angels.

What are three things that people can do to help animals in need?

1. foster

2. transport

3. adopt (if you cannot adopt, sponsor)

Photo credit Angie V. Heringer

What do you remember about rescuing "Foxy Roxy" aka Ruby? The shelter where Ruby was at was one of the worst I've ever seen. Her eyes pleaded to please please get her out. Sometimes people will take the ones the sit in back and seem to have given up, but I also look at the ones crying, barking, pleading...please get me out. They see the ones who pass down that hall, they are not being adopted. Worse, some of the pounds I visit euthanize right there in front of the others - in the kennel, or right outside the door. Then they lay there. These dogs know. .. they are next. Ruby/Roxy was one of the Plain Janes - so many like her, jumpy - look! look! Luckily, she was a med/small and we had space for that size that day. We pull in hopes a  rescue will step up or if one has stepped up. We (Ruby) got lucky. Lisa with CAWL saw that love in her eyes, that something special and said "We'll take her." Ruby, a Plain Jane? THANK YOU Angie, THANK YOU Lisa. 

Photo credit Colorado Animal Welfare League

Here in Colorado we boast a 90% live-release rate overall from shelters, and that is what enables local rescues to bring in dogs from areas of higher need, which is just what happened with Ruby. Colorado Animal Welfare League saw her picture among the many desperate, pleading, endearing faces and had her transported to Colorado where she was fostered by a loving family and listed on their website. 

What can just one person do? Angie emphasizes that we add up and encourages spay/neuter, rescue and adoption. I can't thank her enough for what she does every single day, and especially for the day that was the first step on Ruby's journey to her forever home with me. 

If you would like to sponsor Arkansas Angels for Animals, PayPal donations may be made to spayneuteradoptrescue@gmail.com. 

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