A two-year-old English Foxhound, Franklin was found
wandering the woods in rural Florida, wearing a hunting collar. Sometimes, when a dog bred for hunting is no longer able to do his job, he is dumped in rural areas, or left behind in the woods to fend for himself. Obviously, not every dog is as fortu- nate as Franklin. Even though Franklin may have displayed some shyness,
what attracted the couple to the dog was his stoic attitude. “He was confined to a kennel with another dog who had pooped all over the place. Franklin was clearly not happy with his room- mate and was staying as far away from him as he could. When we took him out to the play yard, he ran around and seemed genuinely happy to play with us. But when we returned him to the kennel, he resumed his ‘I’m so disgusted by you’ attitude toward his roommate. He even gave Anthony a surly look. We knew then we had to bring him home,” said Monisha.
bringing a dog or cat into their homes would soon learn the benefits of adopting from Anthony and Monisha. One afternoon in 2006, while waiting to pick up fliers at
the Sanford shelter to help promote an upcoming event, Anthony decided to check out the dogs in the adoptable area of the shelter. He quickly locked eyes with Juliette, a Beagle mix, scooped her up in his arms and walked out to the lobby to show Monisha. “He said he wanted to take her home and asked me what I thought. Of course I agreed with him right away. We called her our little accident,” said Monisha. Their family continued to grew, as did their fundraising
efforts for the shelters. Franklin’s Friends became an official cor- poration in 2012 and a 501c3, non-profit in 2013. Starting with the first $500 they raised in 2003 as a group of friends during the Wiggle Waggle Walk, the organization today has raised more than $600,000 over the past 10 years. All of the money has been,
“Once a dog worms his way into your
heart, it changes you.” –Monisha Seth.
Once home, Franklin didn’t wag his tail. In fact, Monisha
and Anthony just thought his tail was one that would remain in a permanent down mode. It wasn’t a tail set between his back legs, which could indicate that he was scared. No, it was just a tail that remained downward, with no motion whatsoever. He felt safe in one room of their home — the laundry room. Those first few weeks, he would always return to his safe room after going outside for walks or eating his meal. Three weeks to the day after Franklin came home with
Monisha and Anthony, the couple was sitting in their living room. “We heard this pitter patter of paws and looked at one another,” said Monisha. Franklin had wandered out of his safe room, looked at the couple and raised his tail. “It’s as if he knew this was really his permanent home, and he was showing us,” said Monisha. In October 2003, they decided to participate in the annual
fundraiser for the SPCA of Central Florida, the Wiggle Waggle Walk.Wanting to help the shelter that was responsible for bring- ing Franklin into their lives, they formed a team of like-mind- ed animal lovers, calling themselves Franklin’s Friends. Within a year, the couple determined that Franklin should
have a friend so they adopted Katie, a Beagle mix, from the Orlando location of the SPCA of Central Florida. The family soon became more involved with fundraising efforts for the shelters, including regularly dropping off dog food and pet sup- plies. Any of their friends and colleagues who were interested in
32 THE NEW BARKER
and continues to be, donated to animal welfare causes through- out Central Florida. The group consists of nine board members and 75 volunteers. In between the fundraising efforts and their busy careers,
Annie, a Foxhound mix, was adopted from an abandonment sit- uation in 2009. Lincoln, a Foxhound mix, joined the family in early 2014. Today, Franklin’s Friends raises money through a variety of
events as well as through direct donor solicitation. The organi- zation accepts and reviews applications from local animal char- ities for their fundraising dollars all year. While they strive to support what they believe are the three pillars of animal welfare: Rescue/Shelter, Spay/Neuter and Community Education, they do restrict their funds to 501(c)(3) organizations or government agencies that have the highest standards of veterinary care. The application asks what kind of screening tests are done on intake, what vaccines are administered, how kennels are sanitized, par- asite control measures, testing and treatment for heartworm and heartworm prevention protocols. The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando (formerly the SPCA Central Florida) has been a recip- ient of grant money from Frankie’s Friends. RAIN (Rescuing Animals in Need) is another organization that has benefited from Frankie’s Friends. In 2012, Franklin began slowing down, and developed a
cough. After careful examination, the family veterinarian referred Monisha and Anthony to the Veterinary Cardiology Service at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital College of Medicine. Franklin was diagnosed with heart failure. Shortly thereafter, he developed a seizure disorder.
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