Rescue Waggin' Comes to Iowa

For the past 4 years I have been volunteer spay/neuter coordinator for Noah's Ark Animal Foundation in Fairfield, IA. There is a small group of very dedicated people who are doing wonderful work helping animals in this area. I never cease to be amazed at what people can accomplish when they work together for a higher purpose.

We had some especially great news this month.

Petsmart Charities Rescue Waggin' accepted Noah's Ark into their program. Rescue Waggin' is a program that was started three years ago. They take dogs from overcrowded shelters in the midwest and northeast and then transport them to shelters in cities where the demand for adoptable dogs is high. Since they started this program, over 13,000 dogs have been transported and adopted!

The Waggin' will be transporting Noah's Ark dogs to the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee, WI. Unbelievably, the wait time for adoption at this shelter is only 24-48 hours.

Noah's Ark is the first shelter in Iowa to become part of the Waggin'.

Well done everyone......

Meeting Katrina and Puerto Rico rescue dogs

Lily has been feeling better and so we took her to one of her favorite places...Red River Beach.

Dogs are not allowed on the beach in the summer, but there is a long parking lot adjacent to the beach and in the early evenings, lots of dogs and their people go there. It is a very beautiful spot and we met some friendly people walking dogs with interesting backgrounds.

Molly the lab/hound mix is a Katrina rescue. She was adopted by a very nice couple who saw her picture on the internet. She was very anxious when they first brought her to the beach...maybe it brought back bad memories from her past...but she soon made good friends with a dog who was able to show her how much fun the ocean can be. Now she loves the water and her people have a hard time getting her out when it is time to leave.

Little Edie was rescued from a hard life on the streets in Puerto Rico. I have read articles about the amazing work being done by some of the animal rescue groups in Puerto Rico and it was nice to actually meet a dog who had been adopted from one of these groups.

It's interesting to think about the conversations that these formerly homeless animals would have if they got together.

Although I imagine they prefer not to look back, but rather, as animals do so well, to focus on the present and living life to the fullest.

Lily and me...the beginning of the journey

As always, my trip from Fairfield, IA to Boston, MA this past Monday brought back a lot of special memories.

Almost eight years ago, I made this same trip with Lily, a little dog who had lived for over a year at Noahs Ark Animal Foundation in Fairfield. My sister Bobbie adopted Lily and I brought her cross country to start her new life north of Boston.

I think the thing that stays in my mind the most after all this time is the way Lily seemed to know, right from the beginning of our journey, what the word ADOPTED meant. Having started out a very timid dog, she braved car rides, a taxi ride, 2 plane rides and Logan International airport the day before Thanksgiving with an air of determined excitement and a new found confidence. I felt like she would have followed me to the ends of the earth to get to her new home.

Lily now lives permanently on Cape Cod and she could not be happier or more loved. I named my dog and cat health care company, Lily&Me, Inc. after her and my sister named her computer tutoring company The Lilyweb Group in honor of her remarkable companion.

I have such a deep sense of fulfillment in having been part of the miracle of bringing these two souls together. Some things are just meant to be.