One thing is for certain, rescuing animals takes a village and rescue never takes a day off. It’s 24/7 and consumes your life and your time, but for many of us it’s still worth it. I know it’s worth it to me at least. Just in the past 48 hours I’ve rehomed my foster puppy, redirected four kittens to a new foster mama in Eufaula, took formula and medicine to a sick mama cat, took her babies and fed them every two hours until she got vet care, coordinated with others on our pound dog, answered text, calls and messages all while tending to my zoo at home too. And this is my second job.

This is because every single day animals are being abandoned, abused and neglected and put into shelters, pounds and foster homes. Unfortunately it happens in McIntosh and Muskogee County a lot. This is why my friend Lori Powell-Fells and I started Paws N Claws-Eufaula, OK to help with the pound pups that deserved to be rehomed not put down for simply being homeless and unwanted. But in the last two and a half years we have come to realize just how hard it is to rescue. Rehome and repeat without burning out or blowing up. Burning out because almost every single day we get multiple texts, phone calls and messages on social media pages for help but we can’t cover it all since we are only volunteers and not a nonprofit. Yet every single day we have people step up from the community to help us with sponsorships, spay and neuters, vet bills, animals supplies and fostering and finding new homes for pound pups and ones within the communities we live in.

These are our village people. They are our animalloving tribe that step up and help time after time. Of course, many of us have too many pets ourselves, and others can’t have pets but have the means to help support our efforts to make a difference in these dogs and cats lives. It is NEVER EASY! In fact, it is HARD WORK-day in and day out! And it never stops until you take your last breath –which is why I want to pay tribute to one of our former pound volunteers and great community supporters, James Rowland, who lost his battle to cancer this past week. Even through medical treatment James continued to drop off pet food to the pantry as he tended to his foster and community rescues. James was definitely a force to be reckoned with when it came to rescuing and he was very vocal on his opinion of people who didn’t deserve an animal if they didn’t take care of it. Though James is now looking down on us to make sure we continue what we started, we send our condolences to his family and friends noting that his community with miss him and his devotion to help the less fortunate. (Please note: James had several fur babies he was still fostering when he passed away and Paws N Claws is working hard to find homes for them all. Lucy and Mercury are the last two of his sweet dogs that need forever homes by this Friday so they won’t be surrendered to a shelter. James did so much for McIntosh County. Can’t we do right by his beloved fur babies?)

I also want to take this opportunity to shout out to many of our village so they will know they are so greatly appreciated each and every day because we literally couldn’t do this alone.

First I want to thank all our veterinarians, Dr. Robbins, Dr. Glover, Dr. Voss and Dr. Aday, who all work countless hours to help our fur babies and spay and neuter to reduce the pet population. We are grateful for all you do every day.

We are also grateful to work with Kate Paris and her crew from Happy Paws. She always has the best advice and the animals’ best interest at heart. Thanks for always answering all my questions and concerns.

Thank you, Jenn from Husky House, for always helping with animals in our county. We join your huskies’ chorus line in singing your praise.

Paws N Claws also has a great group of pound volunteers that help Lori and I clean kennels, feed and water the animals and socialize the dogs. We are more than grateful for Ray Fells, Bobby Rhodes, Olivia Shackelford, Tisha Morgan, BJ Drake, Serena Kleveter, Veronica Kleveter and Renee Luce. We love that you are willing to love on these sweet animals until they find their forever homes.

We also have volunteers who help organize and bag up dog food and cat food at the pantry at the Indian Journal and run the pantry on a weekly basis. These indispensable volunteers are Daphanie Hutton, Shauna Belyeu and Brenda Behr.

Again we know how much everything has gone up in inflation, leaving many needing help to care for their fur babies, so our community helpers who donate food to the pet pantry like Ray Fells, Roger Thompson, Kim Woodruff, Kassie Huffman, Pamela Roland, Judy Knopp, Penny Embry, Phyllis Nixon, Leigh Nunn, Kristen & Greg Nichols, Jim McConley, Bonnie Simpson, Becky Helms and Lake Dog and Their People. Thank you for caring and sharing.

Then we are grateful for everyone who comes along side Paws N Claws to help sponsor, pay for a spay or neuter and help us find people to rehome these fur babies. We couldn’t do what we do without the daily support of our village which includes Bradley Shropshire, Eric Getty, Sandra Henslee, Deneisa Calvert, Carol Harris, Rhonda Adams, Keri Moralez, Tamara Scott, Susan Parker, Jennifer Montanez, Christina Watson, Katie Spindle, Bill Dye, Shellie Dean, Emily Shults, Sierra Bumgarner, Palma Rossi, Shiloh Candle, Terry Cramer, The McKinneys, Gail Howell, Karla Thompson, Tim Crocker, Sharina and Chris Little, Chrissy Hall, Keli Rippy, Stephanie Fine with Porches For Pups, Krista Spears, Kenny Peace and so many others.

We definitely thank everyone who has stepped up to take on the responsibility of any of our pound pups or community animals that needed a good home. We are eternally grateful.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. May little paw prints always touch your heart and soul and may you be blessed beyond measure for all the times. We know rescuing isn’t for everyone but we are thankful for our village.