It’s Been A Long Time Coming.But A Change
Is Going to Come. –by Anna Cooke
I It may come as no surprise that in both rural and urban
settings around Florida, homeless dogs wander the streets, emaciated, heartworm positive and unwanted. Lonely, some- times aggressive, they are almost always broken-spirited, and no one misses them. What would be surprising is the fact that many of these dogs are purebred German Shepherd Dogs. How they ended up in such dire straights is not always known. Perhaps an owner died, or the dog accidentally escaped and became lost. Reasons for an owner-surrender may include anything from aggressiveness to the inability to control such strong-willed, physically intimidating and smart dogs. Their fate is almost always hopeless, especially in the overcrowded shelters. On the Wings of Angels Rescue is a privately funded
organization that has pledged to raise the bar on the standard of care and rehabilitation of abandoned dogs. While staff and volunteers who work at this Florida facility may take into account the dog’s past when rehabilitating them, what is most important is the present. The first step is pulling the dog from an animal control facility with whom a partnership has been formed, and transporting it safely to the sanctuary. The rescue group is notified by the facility, or through an affiliate rescue group, when a German Shepherd Dog or German Shepherd Dog mix has been taken in. Oftentimes, the dogs are already on death row, so time is of the essence. Animal control facili- ties will not release a dog unless certain criteria have been met, including an approved foster home, a sought-after com- modity in the world of rescue. Sometimes the dogs are pulled just hours before being euthanized. It is an arduous process that is sometimes heartbreaking, relying on personal contacts, social media and sheer tenacity to save one dog’s life. While many rescue groups and shelters are about
turnover — i.e. pulling the dog from an unsafe situation, vet- ting, fostering, and socializing the dog, ultimately leading to adopting the dog out — On the Wings of Angels is a little dif- ferent. For many of the dogs, the sanctuary will be a safe haven for the rest of their lives. The goal of the sanctuary is twofold: The first priority, as their mission states, is to save the dogs, utilizing a precise structure meant to rehabilitate and train. Their second goal is a bit loftier since it requires a social change in the way Americans think about their dogs.
48 THE NEW BARKER
Jessica Touponce with Sundae, one of the happiest dogs we have ever met. Photograph by Deborah Finnegan.
www.TheNewBarker.com
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