Help Us Rescue McCoy & Bring Him Home

This is McCoy. I met him in the Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, New Mexico. He was waiting for me in the lobby. He made eye contact with me immediately and when I knelt down to say hi, he put his whole head in my hands and wouldn’t leave. McCoy, someone told me as I rubbed his ears, was going to be euthanized if the shelter, now way over capacity, could not find a home for him quickly. “The shelter is too full,” they said. “They can’t keep him. But he’s such a good dog. He’s 2.”

I didn’t go looking for McCoy. We weren’t anywhere near a shelter or adoption event. In fact, it was entirely last minute that we had randomly chosen to stop for lunch at the Prairie Hills Cafe in downtown Las Vegas, New Mexico, on our way to El Paso to scatter my grandfather’s ashes in our family’s hometown. We walked into the cafe on the first floor of the old Plaza Hotel and, well…there he was. Waiting.

McCoy (named Loki by the Las Vegas Animal Shelter when they found him) is about 2 years old. He’s a Husky mix with a slightly wonky bag leg. He’s also one of the gentlest, sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. He’s great with other dogs and with children. He’s also neutered, microchipped, and heart worm negative. And he was days away from being put to sleep.

New Mexico has one of the highest rates of homeless animals. When I spoke with a shelter staff member, they told me that a very small percentage of dogs in Las Vegas (NM) have owners. The animal

shelter (which has a budget of less than $300k a year) has a limited number of kennels and, this past year, has frequently been full beyond capacity. To learn more about the homeless animal crisis in New Mexico, see these articles:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/local-animal-shelters-struggle-adoption-030200667.html

https://www.lasvegasoptic.com/news/is-las-vegas-going-to-the-dogs-local-residents-weigh-in-on-the-animal-crisis/article_ac4c23c6-8bff-11ef-8d37-83fd7559c588.html

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/11/18/surge-stray-dogs-roaming-las-vegas-streets-rescue-group-says/?outputType=amp

McCoy had been found wandering in early November and when his owner could not be located, he was finally put up for adoption. The shelter volunteers told me he’s one of the sweetest, most people-pleasing dogs they’ve ever met, and they were so desperate to find him a home that volunteers had started taking just him out to different spots in town in the hopes that someone would see him and want to bring him home.

“I live in North Carolina,” I told Gail and Irene and Grant and Rayna (the volunteers). “Or I totally would.”

“We could get him to North Carolina,” Gail said.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, for the right home. We would do that.”

I looked at McCoy. McCoy looked at me. I felt my heart leap out of my body. I’ve only had that feeling once before: it was August 14, 2010, the day we met Madigan in the animal shelter in Ohio. I just felt so very certain.

While we were talking, wait staff and employees walking through would stop to pet McCoy, an obvious regular.

“Would you like to take him for a walk?” Irene asked.

Of course I wanted to take him for a walk. He stayed close to my side through the park, never pulling, never running ahead. He would smile and then turn back, like he was making sure I was still there and having a good time. I FaceTimed Kyle. It was an instant yes.

Over the next 30 minutes, the volunteers started strategizing the many ways they could transport him across the country. They contacted a rescue organization with a private plane. 2 of them volunteered to drive him themselves. Ultimately, another volunteer, Fernando, agreed to drive McCoy personally from Las Vegas to the Carolinas for us. We have offered to pay for Fernando’s gas and hotel (it’s about 23 hours each way). We estimate this trip will cost close to $1000.

The adoption paperwork has now been completed and Fernando and McCoy will be driving to meet us in Columbia, South Carolina on December 28th.

Adopting a dog, any dog, is a huge life commitment. When we adopted Madigan from the humane society in Columbus, Ohio in 2010, she was 2 years old. 14 years later, we can’t believe how rich our lives are because of her. She is our entire world. We’ve thought carefully about Maddie as we’ve made this decision and we believe this is a good fit. We know adopting McCoy ie another huge journey we’re taking with a dog who will have his own needs. We are anticipating his vet bills, training, food, and exercise needs. Kyle grew up with many big dogs, including a Husky mix and we know how loving and whole-hearted they are as a breed (and also sometimes stubborn and vocal!)

As we help McCoy settle into his brand new home (we’ve had 6 whole days now), we are sharing this story with the people we love. I’ve never started a GoFund me for anything ever but I’m doing one now. If you’ve ever wondered what to get me for Christmas or my birthday, if you want to honor an animal in your own life, or if you’re looking for a way to help give a shelter dog a brand new start, here’s a way to do that. Please feel no pressure to donate, and know that we are grateful always for each of you.

100% of donated funds will be used to

A) compensate the shelter volunteers from New Mexico for their selfless, tireless efforts to save McCoy’s life, even driving him 3000 miles across the United States two days after Christmas to do so, and

B) to pay for any veterinary bills he incurs right away, like his heart worm and flea/tick medication and leptospirosis vaccine (a necessity in the southeast). Specifically, our vet is now certain McCoy survived being hit by a car as x-rays show an old, healed pelvic fracture and hip luxation. She has just told us that McCoy will need a femoral head ostectomy (FHO) to relieve pain and give him back his mobility as a young adult dog.

(About the procedure: “During the surgery, the surgeon removes the femoral head, leaving the socket of the hip empty. The dog's leg muscles initially hold the femur in place, and over time, scar tissue forms a "false joint" between the femur and the acetabulum.)

Thank you for all the love, support, and community you’ve given to us and to Madigan over the past 14 years. Whether you’re able to donate or not, I hope you know how much your presence in our lives has saved us.

Love,

Elizabeth, Kyle,

Madigan, & (introducing) McCoy