Kenna Walsh
VALDOSTA, Ga. — Ten months ago, Girl was a 1-year-old mixed breed stray who spent her nights shivering in a field across from the P&D; Food Mart on Griffin Avenue. Her skin was burned and she was severely underweight.
Capt. Audrey Orek, a T-38 instructor teaching introduction to fighter fundamentals at Moody Air Force Base, spotted Girl on her way home in June 2006. Orek had volunteered at the Lowndes County Animal Shelter and was the owner of five dogs. She left some treats for Girl, but didn’t see her in the field again until January 2007. Orek nicknamed her “Girl” because the dog was female.
“I was driving past the P&D; grocery store when Girl walked across the street. She almost got hit by a couple cars. You could see her ribs, she was so thin,” Orek said.
Girl had given birth to eight puppies and was nursing them in the field. Nearby residents said Girl belonged to an elderly gentleman who had died, and she had been left to fend for herself.
Orek wanted to help, but she needed support. She bought puppy formula from Pets Mart and enlisted the help of neighbors to care for the puppies. Girl was too frightened to approach humans.
“Days went by and Girl began to realize I would bring her food. She would lie in that empty field filled with broken glass, trying to stay warm. I could see her pink body … her skin looked like it was recovering from being burned,” she said.
Orek called the Humane Society and pleaded for help to catch Girl and find her a good home. She worried no one would want Girl because of her physical appearance and medical condition.
Melissa Alderman, program coordinator for the Humane Society’s Animal Cruelty Task Force, gave Orek tips on how to catch the dog and told her about Lowndes County’s foster parent program, where people foster pets until a permanent home is found. The Humane Society supplies all veterinary care, asking foster parents to provide food, water and a loving environment.
“Sometimes people can’t afford to have a pet but want a companion. They can foster an animal and not be burdened with the financial responsibility,” Alderman said. “We’re really in need of foster parents. If we have more parents, we can rescue more animals.”
It took five weeks for Girl to become approachable. Orek put a pet bed and igloo-shaped dog house in the field. At first, the dog would hide under a trailer when Orek left food and water, but eventually, Girl crept close enough to be petted.
A few days before Valentine’s Day, Orek bought a fluffy pink blanket and left it in the pet igloo for Girl. She wanted to adopt her, but feared six dogs would be too much. Orek and her husband Mark, also an Air Force pilot, were separated by a military move, and Orek was about to relocate to Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Miss. She thought foster care was the key to finding Girl a loving home.
On Feb. 14, Orek whispered a prayer, and Girl came close enough to be held. Orek loaded her in the car and took Girl to Dr. Tim Thornhill at Veterinary Care.
“She was in pretty rough condition, I don’t know what happened to her. She was in terrible shape,” Thornhill said. “She had just about everything you’d think she could have.”
It wasn’t long before Girl was diagnosed with heartworms and hookworms. She had a bacterial infection in her skin, most likely a result of being burned, Thornhill said. Girl had an infection in her eyes, and her teeth were worn down. “It was bad,” he said. “She was an ugly little dog. She looked bedraggled.”
Alderman said Girl had been burned or set on fire with what appeared to have been an accelerant. The dog was bashed in the head and had a damaged tooth, she said, all likely results of abuse.
Girl spent the night at Veterinary Care, and the next day Orek brought her home, waiting to see if a foster parent would answer the call.
Orek used caution with Girl until she became familiar with the other dogs. After a few weeks, the dogs were kindred spirits, and Girl became part of the family.
In late March, Alderman called with good news. Scott and Jessica Bender, Lowndes County’s only dog foster parents, would open their door to Girl until the Humane Society found her a suitable home. For Orek, the news was bittersweet. Her husband had told her she would either have to live with the heartache of losing Girl, or accept bringing another dog into their home.
The Benders had a 6-month-old Bulldog, Boxer mix, and it wasn’t long before Girl got acquainted with her new sibling. “She really warmed up to us,” Jessica said. “We really wanted to help other animals in the community.” Fostering was a way for the couple to have a second dog without the financial responsibility, she said.
Girl’s troubled past had a fairytale ending. A little over two weeks after dropping Girl off, Orek returned to the Bender’s home, moving truck packed, to gather one more precious item.
“I could still see her in that field with broken glass all around her. It took her five weeks to respond to me,” Orek said. Through the help of the Humane Society and the Benders, Orek had time to think about adding another pet into the family and decided to go for it.
Foster families mean life or death for animals
Unlike Girl, many dogs and cats in Lowndes County have less magical tales. Abandoned, abused, or unnoticed, many animals are left to fend for themselves, and the condition results in puppies and kittens to carry on the legacy.
Stray animals are picked up by Lowndes County Animal Services, but depending on shelter space and the dog or cat’s likelihood to be adopted, thousands of these animals are euthanized each year. The Humane Society’s foster program is essential for saving pets, said Linda Patelski, animal services director.
“The foster program is very important for those animals we can’t find places for or rescue. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s the odd man out,” Patelski said. “Some animals would be adopted if they could be here long enough for the right couple to see.”
The Humane Society does not have the capacity to house animals in its facility. Some cats are housed at Pets Mart, but many dogs and cats can not be helped because there is nowhere to put them. The foster care program is how hurting pets find a place to rest their paws.
“We rescue animals that are at-risk, often strays that have been neglected or abused,” said Mechelle Sullivan, foster adoption coordinator for the Humane Society. “Many times these animals are not spayed or neutered, and it becomes an unending, vicious cycle. We cannot rescue pets without foster homes. Foster parents save lives.”
Dana Summerford volunteers with Humane Society and is a foster mom for cats. With the Humane Society, she helps to care for the cats who curl up at Pets Mart. As for fostering cats, Summerford said it’s sometimes hard to say goodbye to a pet, but she feels good about helping more animals through the foster program.
The Benders are Lowndes County’s only dog foster parents, and there are two full-time cat foster parents in the system. More foster parents are needed to save pets.
To become a pet foster parent in Lowndes County, you must be a member of the Humane Society — a fee of $10 per year — and meet certain criteria, including a home inspection, adequate space to house the animal and a veterinary check for other animals in the house. The Humane Society pays for all veterinary care for the foster animal, requiring foster parents to pay only for food and water. Once a month, the Society hosts a foster event, where pets are brought to Pets Mart and shown for potential adoption.
For information on foster pet care, call the Humane Society at 247-3266. On the Web: www.humanesocietyofvaldosta.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Humane Society’s foster program is partially funded through the organization’s yearly fundraising events. Upcoming events include the April 21 Azalea City Kiwanis Walk for Charity and the April 28 Fur Ball and Reverse Draw. To qualify for the walk, participants must raise a minimum of $25. Sponsor forms are available at the Humane Society’s office at 307 E. Jane St. Registration for the walk begins at 8:30 a.m. at Valdosta Middle School, with the walk starting at 9:30 a.m. There will be bandanas for pups and a “pooped” wagon for canines and humans too tired make the five-mile walk.
Tickets for the Fur Ball and Reverse Draw are still available at the Humane Society’s office. The cost is $100 per ticket, which admits two persons and includes two drink tickets and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The event includes a one in 300 chance to win $10,000 and music from Beals Toupee.
For information on either event, call the Humane Society at 247-3266.
