For any of you who have known me for any length of time, you’ll be very shocked to see my newest foster. His name is JR.
Y’all, that is a chihuahua. A CHIHUAHUA! I always said I would never have a small dog… Then I got Izzy. While she’s not a big dog, she’s still literally 5 times JR’s size.
We still have Atlas, so I wasn’t intending to take another foster at this time. JR’s story is a little sad. Last Friday in Greenbrier, a trailer caught on fire. The couple that lived in that trailer are great people. However, they were a little overwhelmed. They had been taking in strays for years, and their house had also become a dumping ground. With these combined, they had well over 100 dogs living on their property. I’ve heard it was around 150-175, though we don’t know for sure. The fire claimed the lives of around 71 dogs, as well as the couple’s trailer. They are now living in a bus behind their former home.
In a sad story, there’s a glimmer of hope: the couple wisely signed their dogs over to a number of rescue groups. At the Humane Society of Faulkner County (HSFC), we took around 40 animals – around 37 dogs and 2 cats. While they are no longer at home, they are getting the medical attention they need. By Saturday at noon, our amazing clinical staff had vaccinated all of the animals. The couple had been bringing dogs in slowly to be spayed and neutered, and we are taking care of spaying & neutering the rest now. Within weeks, these dogs will all be ready for adoption – some have already been adopted.
If you’re interested in hearing more about what happened, you can check out this story Courtney Spradlin wrote for the Log Cabin Democrat. You can also check out the story Pam Baccam from Today’s THV did. Additionally, you can check out an updated story – the dogs weren’t the only victims from the fire. If you’re interested in helping the pet owners, check out this link. Thanks to our local news outlets for great coverage.
HSFC is now charged with the task of finding worthy homes for these animals – by adopting them out ourselves and calling on the assistance of local rescue groups. If you’re interested in seeing the dogs, you can see pictures of all of them on our Facebook page.
Now for the slideshow with JR. I’ve always wanted to work with special needs. JR is between 10 and 12 years old, we think. He is epileptic (has seizures) and has no teeth. You’ll notice his tongue hangs out all the time. He’s so cute!
JR is oddly silent – which is not typical for a chihuahua. The only time he’s barked is when I’ve crated him. He has some major separation anxiety and wants to be my constant companion. It’s so sweet!
I’ve never been one to clothe dogs, really… Except for Christmas pictures. JR shivers a lot – just because he’s cold! I bought him a $4 sweater to keep him warm. He seems to like it, and I think he pulls it off pretty well. If we can find him some doggy argyle, he’ll match me well!
JR needs a good home – like all of the “Fire Dogs.” He needs someone who is going to be with him all the time and wants a constant lap companion. If you’re interested, let me know and we can discuss more.
For those of you who don’t know, HSFC is a 100% volunteer organization – we have no staff. Our volunteers foster and adopt dogs out of their homes – we have no physical location. We are a 501c3 non-profit and rely totally on donations. If you’re interested in helping, you can visit our website here.
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