Caring For Creatures
I first heard about Caring For Creatures at a most unlikely place. Amidst drunken crowds of wine tasters and music goers at the Virginia Garlic Festival at Rebec Vineyards, was the small and modest booth dedicated to educating the public about a far more meaningful endeavor, one that with wine glass and bottle in hand we might not have been ready for. But I bought a book on loveable mutts for my father, the proud owner of one, and a bag of dog bones for my dogs, and some time much later sat with the newsletter they publish to read more about Caring For Creatures, “A Not For Profit Foundation Dedicated To The Care Of Homeless & Abandoned Animals.”
I finally made a visit to the sanctuary the day after Christmas with my parents in tow and sister and boyfriend following behind. It is a long drive from Lynchburg, two hours, with the last bit on country roads and finally a long winding gravel driveway with potholes and mud puddles and the sense that my Dad is concerned about his new car, scratchless still, and my Mom, squirming in the back seat, uncomfortable with arthritis. The whole experience proves to be this way, trying and unpleasant. We exit the wooded drive and see a ramshackle array of fencing, wooded pens, and scattered buildings with a house in the middle. The barking is penetrating like the cold and mud we slush around in. The president and founder, Mary B., is busy when we arrive so we separate and venture out to the numerous dog pens. They have large, roomy shelters, all filled with barkers. My sister is bit in the first five minutes by a beagle who grabbed and tugged at the fleshy part of her hand. I am snapped at by a hound who otherwise wags his tail, wags it so hard and often that it has chipped away a line of paint at the side of his green house.
I volunteer every Tuesday morning at the (not so) Humane Society where I live, and every Tuesday I struggle with the fact that I cannot take a cute Chihuahua home, or the German wire-haired pointer who sits so sweetly at his gate. Yet here, there is not a single dog I would want to take home. Mary estimates that forty percent of the dogs, and fifty percent of the cats are considered “unadoptable.” The majority of the dogs are hunting dogs, large hounds and small beagles. If they did not live here you might see them as I’ve seen so often, tied to a doghouse in the woods with five others; dogs solely used for hunting a few times a year. Many are rough and crude and a few concerningly shy, retreating to their houses when I hold my camera up. Caring For Creatures is also one of the only organizations to accept cats with feline leukemia and FIV, as well as senior citizens and feral cats. Thanks to Mary, the dogs and cats can live here with fresh food and water, shelter, human and animal companionship. The cats, grouped according to health and age, share amazingly clean and comfortable rooms with screened porches and numerous perches, snuggle beds, and rocking chairs for visitors.
Mary estimates that thirty animals are adopted each year from the sanctuary, but these adoptees are mostly puppies and kittens. They are hopeful the day I visited that a litter of nine beagle/hound pups would find homes. Were it not for the attention of a stranger and the charitable life Mary has established, these puppies would be dead in the frosty waters of a nearby river where a young man had them bagged and ready to dump. They grace the cover of the holiday newsletter and the last page features pictures of each with information about the breed, potential size, and an ad for Doggie Manners Class.
This well-run sanctuary also features numerous ways for individuals to become involved should they not be able to adopt a pet or volunteer. Charlie’s Gift is a reserve fund that is used to cover emergency medical care for animals. Donations are tax-deductible and Mary ads that, “Your gift will save an animal who has no one but us to help them. Your sharing will make a difference.” Differences have been made for at least two dogs featured in the brochure. Charlie, a black lab mix, hit by a car at eight weeks of age, is the namesake for the fund. He received medical care with the sanctuaries help and lived three healthy years until seizures overcame him. Blue, a Blue Tick Hound, was a recipient of “Charlie’s Gift”, and received veterinary care for a broken femur. He is now living in the loving home of Daniel, a volunteer at the sanctuary. Caring For Creatures has also established a Sponsorship Program to help with the minimum $5000 monthly cost for caring for the 150-200 animals, or $30 per month, per animal. A sponsor is a group or individual willing to provide the financial support for one or more animals on a monthly basis. With a monetary gift comes a Sponsorship Certificate with a photograph of the adopted animal or animals, as well as a brief biography with regular updates throughout the year. There is also the Furry Friends Fraternity, School Programs, Youth Dog Club, Kids Club Sponsor Program, Pet Therapy, Obedience Classes, The Rocking Chair Club, Radio Show, and various fundraising events throughout the year. Mary is dependent on the numerous volunteers who each contribute up to six hours a day. The back of each newsletter has a “Calling All Volunteers” section and a list of specific needs with suggestions for those living far away. My father was so impressed by Caring For Creatures, and so overwhelmed at the need for such places that he made a large monetary donation the following week.
It is overwhelming to see the quality of care provided for these animals by Mary. I would guess that the dogs and cats living at Caring For Creatures don’t think much about living anywhere better.
UPDATE:
I talked to Paige at Caring For Creatures this week to see how things are going. Like many rescues, they too are busy, and sadly, at capacity. She said they are seeing animals surrendered by people who are losing their homes due to eviction or foreclosure and moving to places that don’t allow pets. People are also struggling to manage the costs of care and feed for their pets, so CFC is helping with that by collecting and distributing food. If you want to learn how you can help she suggested the following: check out their website which has “Donate,” “How to Help,” and “Volunteer” links. They are in need of many things, including bedding and cleaning supplies, but she says the most helpful contribution is monetary. It now costs $1000 a day to maintain their facility.
You can also find them here if you’re on Facebook.
Paige also shared a success story: their first adoption of 2012 was an FIV positive cat named Orion. She (not he) is the first cat with this illness to be adopted in a decade! That’s great news for Orion! Thanks, Caring For Creatures!
