This is a series of diaries highlighting animal rescues around the country and noting and celebrating the work they do to help animals who have no voices but ours to speak for them. I have decided to make this a daily series because there are so many wonderful rescues out there who need human help and weekly just doesn't seem to be enough. I have long wanted to start a rescue but lack the resources or time available to do so right now so this is my attempt to do my part. I hope that these rescues will benefit from the kindness and benevolence of the community here at Daily Kos. They are amazing organizations and worthy of Kossack attention and care.
Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed
All nicely tucked into my warm new bed
I'd like to open my baggage
Lest I forget
There is so much to carry-
So much to regret. Hmmmm…..
Yes, there it is, right on the top.
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss
And there by my bed, hide Fear and Shame
As I look on these things I tried hard to leave
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain
I love them, the others, the ones who left me
But I was not good enough - For they did not want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Or will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things -
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage
And never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?
Author Unknown
Cat & Canine Assistance, Referral and Education (C.A.R.E.)
The website is here
You can donate here or right on the home page
Adoption information is here
Our Mission Is Saving Lives
Funded entirely by private grants and donations from individuals who love animals - wonderful people like you - CARE rescues at-risk dogs and cats without regard for their health status, age or adoptability, and seeks responsible homes for them. Unlike most rescue groups, we have no time limits. Whether it takes 7 days or 7 years, our rescues have a home for life!
That's because we operate a cage-free, no-kill sanctuary providing a home-sweet-home for up to 300+ orphaned cats and dogs in the high desert north of Los Angeles. Our sanctuary, established in 1998 and licensed by the county, consistently earns "A" ratings when inspected by the Dept of Animal Regulation. Some of our rescues are older, or suffer from chronic yet treatable diseases, such as diabetes and Feline AIDS. That's why our sanctuary expenses are higher than most rescue groups' expenses.
How does CARE support animal welfare? By nurturing a community of homeless animals in a licensed, A-rated shelter, CARE demonstrates that responsible sanctuaries provide a truly humane alternative to current responses to pet overpopulation issues. CARE makes it possible for "unwanted" pets to live out their lives in peace and dignity.
Please help us continue to provide a great quality of life for orphaned pets! It is the commitment and generous support of individuals like you that makes it all possible. Your donations really do make a difference! Please help us save even more lives!
Amazing Animal Stories
The Amazing And True Story Of Bravo!
Bravo's story occurred many years ago but will always be a tale of amazing animal survival, courage and human compassion.
Here's a link which still exists on his incredible ordeal:
PR Web "Stubbs the Cat"
Several years ago, a young woman started feeding a family of feral cats she discovered near her office in Gardena, California, outside Los Angeles. Please note: If you know of or are feeding a group of feral cats, it's vitally important to trap, alter, and release them to keep the population from growing. See our Resources section for more information.
On April 20, 2001, she pulled up to feed the cats, who, as usually, rushed to her, hungry and excited. As she watched them eat, she noticed something strange about one of them, a young black-and-white male with big gold eyes. His whiskers were gone. They looked like they'd been burned off. His fur looked a little strange, too. Then she saw his right rear leg...with a chunk missing, as if something had taken a big bite out of it.
The next morning, when the kitty showed up to eat, his left paw was missing. And then it became clear what was happening: he was gnawing off parts of his body that had been injured.
With the help of Joanna Patrice of C.A.R.E., an urgent message went out, via phone and e-mail, to almost every member of the Los Angeles rescue community: Help us trap this cat! He is slowly dying!
Meanwhile, the little kitty, who everyone started calling "Stubbs", got worse and worse. He kept gnawing at his feet until he had chewed off his front left leg almost to the shoulder, and his right rear leg to the knee. And yet everyday, he kept coming to breakfast, hobbling along to the food dish, with a survival instinct like nobody had never seen before. This cat wanted to live.
The Rescue
Christi Metropole, founder and President of the Stray Cat Alliance, gathered some fellow "trappers", including members of the rescue group Purrfect Partners, and they headed down to the site to catch Stubbs before infection from his injuries spread into his body and killed him. It wasn't easy, despite the fact that Christi and the other volunteers were equipped with traps, nets, and all the tricks their experience with feral cats has taught them over the years. Stubbs was frightened and in pain, and wasn't going for any of it. Meanwhile, he'd hobble along with his colony-mates to eat the food rescuers left for the cats.
His mother, Scarlet, a sleek black kitty with golden eyes just like Stubbs, tried to protect him by standing guard at his hiding place when he was sleeping or hiding-- and this is how everyone figured out where Stubbs disappeared to after he ate. When rescuers tried to catch him or trap him, Scarlet put herself in between him and everything else, and although she is actually tame and very sweet, would hiss and spit in an effort to keep anyone from hurting her kitten again.
For three days, the trapping "team" didn't leave the site, sleeping in their cars and at times climbing 20-foot barbed wire fences to check the traps. Everyone was exhausted and frustrated, but the more Stubbs eluded them, and the more dire his condition was becoming, the more determined everyone got. Finally, on the night of May 7...success! (Thanks to KFC Original Recipe chicken used as bait.) They rushed Stubbs to an emergency animal hospital, where his injuries were treated for the short-term and he was given pain medication.
The Diagnosis
The next day, Stubbs was moved to another hospital for long-term assessment and treatment of his injuries. The diagnosis: somebody set this cat on fire. Animal Control told C.A.R.E. that it's not uncommon for people to throw lighter fluid on a stray animal, then toss a lit match at them.
All four of Stubbs' feet and lower legs were badly burned. As days passed, the pain and dying tissue motivated him to gnaw off the parts of his own body that he knew were killing him. The final damage: one of Stubbs' back legs is gone, up to the knee. His left front leg is gone up to the elbow. His right front leg is missing a toe.
This behavior is pure, unfiltered survival instinct. Stubbs was fighting his infection the only way he knew how.
Bravo in Recovery
He has fortunately tested negative for Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and is on medication for the gangrene infection that was taking over his system. The vets are sure that if Stubbs had gone one more day without medical attention, it would have been too late too save him.
In addition to antibiotics to fight his infection, Stubbs had surgery every 2 days for the first ten days of his treatment to remove the necrotic (dead) tissue and stimulate growth of new tissue. A prosthesis may be built for his missing front leg, and then he can get on with the 8 other lives he's got left!
Through all of this, Stubbs has remained a very, very good boy. He had never been touched by humans before his rescue, but he seemed to know that everyone was helping him and accepted their TLC with cooperation and grace.
June 18, 2001
Stubbs has recovered beautifully from his initial surgeries, but he is dragging his back leg. Our doctors have recommended an innovative surgery that will hinge his lower leg forward, thus creating a substitute for the foot he chewed off. These surgeries are 90% successful and result in a cat being able to use the injured leg again, and Stubbs is an excellent candidate with an excellent prognosis!
September 22, 2001
Stubbs has been living in a foster home the last 3 months. He's blossomed into the most delightful young cat man imaginable! His forearm has totally healed up and won't need a prosthetic device. A prosthetic boot was designed for his missing hind foot but that's going to take some getting used to and perhaps a bit of modification. The most wonderful news is that he's found his new home with Pam and Ritchie Geisel and their fur-daughter Eliza! Thanks to all of you who sent in suggestions for his new name. He is now going by "Bravo" - a tribute to his bravery and a name that aptly describes his indomitable character! Pam and Ritchie are going to be keeping us up on the new adventures of "Bravo" and his big sister Eliza.
Read The New Adventures Of Bravo!
See more amazing stories here!
About CARE
Charlies the magnificentFor every pet cherished in a secure home, one hundred more roam homeless, hungry and frightened until they succumb to malnutrition, disease, speeding vehicles or worse fates. A lucky few are rescued by caring humans who work at what can be a lonesome, stressful job.
C.A.R.E. was born in 1992 when a few such people came together to help homeless animals and their human rescuers. We began as 5 women who all volunteered at a San Fernando Valley “no-kill” shelter – although there were certain exceptions to that rule, on occasion. So, we decided to form our own little group to especially look out for the less adoptable animals and to offer support and guidance to individuals who might contact the shelter for assistance in their attempts to rescue abandoned cats and dogs.
After much deliberation, we voted on the name Cat Assistance, Referral & Education with the acronym C.A.R.E. In a year or so, things changed at the shelter for us, so we left and began fostering cats and dogs in our homes and finding them homes at local adoption fairs.
Albert - a prince of a pooch! All that changed in 1998 when a Valley private shelter went out of control and was shut down by the Dept. of Animal Regulation. There were over 600 cats and 20 some dogs; half of the cats were euthanized by the Dept. right on the spot. One of C.A.R.E.’s Board members located a wealthy lady who wanted to help and promised she’d always have our backs…right! So, we were able to bail out the remaining cats and dogs and located a properly zoned property in the high desert near Palmdale to set up our Sanctuary. It was a little old house on an acre of land next to the California Aqueduct but the zoning was right and so we rented it and with some handy-females (and a handy male or so) we set it up to house the cats in the house and the dogs in outside runs. We took on the name C.A.R.E. aka: Cat/Canine Assistance, Referral & Education.
Remember we said “right!” about that wonderful lady who pledged to never let us down? In about six months, she decided that animals weren’t really her mission and moved on. But somehow we survived. It was a really tough row to hoe – we started out totally backwards – many animals and little funding – where most rescues start out with few animals. But with a lot of blood, sweat, tears and sleepless nights – we kept on keepin’ on. It’s through our wonderful supporters – people like you, reader – who made it possible.
IrwinWe were and continue to be especially concerned for animals who are not the most adoptable – older, manageable health conditions, FeLV, feral kitties, etc.. Thus, we have many animals who will never be adopted but we also have many who are and so we constantly look for forever loving homes for them via internet adoption sites, adoption programs, etc.. But it doesn’t matter. They are all welcome with us for as long as they need – 7 weeks, months, years, life.
We never euthanize except to end unrelievable pain and suffering and only via our veterinarian with staff or board members standing by to comfortable the little one as they cross the Rainbow Bridge. Our Sanctuary is run by our Board of Directors, who are entirely uncompensated, and a crew of dedicated Sanctuary staff who care for the animals 24/7 – 2 vet techs, 3 maintenance and 1 “dog man”. These people are truly dedicated and love all the Sanctuary “fur folk” like family. We welcome visitors to tour the Sanctuary by appointment. You can take a virtual tour here.
RubyBy operating our cage-free, no-kill sanctuary for orphaned cats and dogs, C.A.R.E. demonstrates that humane alternatives exist to address the pet overpopulation problem. Community leaders across the nation are encouraging people to spay/neuter, adopt from the shelters and sponsor feral cat colonies, all of which certainly contribute to a solution. But even when successful, these strategies take time. And for so many innocents, their time is now, before long-term solutions can take hold. For these animals who are "in-between" solutions, responsible sanctuaries, such as C.A.R.E.'s, present the most humane response to the problem of pet overpopulation.
A rescuer's dream is to one day open a cage-free shelter, where abandoned pets can live, well-fed and well-loved until the right adopter comes along. We had done that but we always had that niggling insecurity of being tenants and having our fur folks’ home sold out from under us!! In 2012 a miracle occurred. Thanks to a wonderful lady’s bequest, we were finally able to purchase our Sanctuary property and the adjoining acre!! Our fur folks’ home is now as safe as we can make it! Only more funding, new housing and volunteers can make it safer!
The Cat Troops We have now embarked on a capital campaign to build two new large buildings on that adjoining acre complete with air conditioning and heating for both cats and dogs. The current buildings were built in the early 1950s and the dogs currently have no A/C or heating. They have dogloos, loafing sheds for shade, misters in the summer, wading pools, rubber maid sheds but still, it gets over 100 F degrees in the summer and snows in the winter up in the desert. We have a campaign going on at GofundMe.com but donations can be made towards that project in any fashion…..PayPal (see link in the left column), checks, donations in kind, donations of materials, your know-how…..anything!
C.A.R.E. has now been in existence over 20 years and our Sanctuary almost as long. In addition to homes for our little ones, new housing for them, volunteers to play with the animals, help out at the Sanctuary, promote us on the internet, do public outreach and, of course, funding to keep on keepin’ on, we are seriously looking for people who share our vision, who are on the same page, to join C.A.R.E.; to become part of the heart and soul of the organization; new energetic people to help carry it on into the future. Could you be one of those?
Fur Folk of the Month - Neco!
Neco is a totally adorable senior little Shih Tzu - simply adorable! His history is somewhat misty. We only know that some people had him and neglected him. Did someone die and he became an orphan and was passed on to family? We don't know.
We do know that these people, whoever they may be, passed him on to other people who DID notice that something wasn't right with the poor little one. They took him to the vet to find that he suffered from advanced diabetes and was blind. They did what they could for him but realized that he needed more help than they were able to give. They contacted C.A.R.E. and, so, Neco became one of C.A.R.E.'s fur folk.
As soon as we received him, he went to our vet's. They found that his blood sugar was ragingly high at over 600!!1 and that due to his untreated diabetes, he was now also blind, his eyes no longer producing tears. He spent 2 weeks in the hospital to bring his blood sugar under control and develop a treatment regimen. There the staff came to love him, telling us that despite all the poking and medical treatment, he was always incredibly gentle and sweet.
He is now in a foster home where he receives twice daily insulin injections and eye drops 3 times a day to keep his poor little eyes lubricated. He will need to go to the doctor every month or even more frequently, to make sure the treatment regimen is working.
Neco is enjoying his little life and has a lotta love to give. If you would like to sponsor this adorable little guy and help pay for his on-going medical treatment, your donation can be sent to the address in the above right box or via our PayPal account using the link at the very end of this letter.
They have many more adoptable pets here
The Animal Sanctuary
You may wonder why we've chosen to locate our place so far from Los Angeles. The answer is simple - property properly zoned for kennels and catteries is in extremely short supply in the metro Los Angeles area. And when we rescued the "survivors" in 1998, we didn't have much time to pick and choose the spot we would make their home. And, so here it is, about 1 hour away from Los Angeles in the High Desert!
As you can see, Our Place is a rustic affair. We don't have the funds or people power to make it pretty, as we'd like to, but it works and the fur folk are comfortable, happy, well-fed and well-loved. Everybody has access to an outdoor area where they can feel the wind ruffle their whiskers!
However, it is time for some improvements - most of the buildings are almost 60 years old! We want to build two large buildings equipped with swamp-coolers and heaters with an indoor and outdoor space for each of our rescued dogs. We have quite a few older dogs and we want them to be cozy, especially in the cold winter days. We are located in the High Desert and temperatures reach over 100 in the summer and below freezing in the winter. The cats are housed in a 3 room house that was built in the 1950's and is in desperate need of upgrades and expansion. You can help us make this happen by donating using our PayPal link on the left or at GoFundMe