Nessie and Carla-Part II
Donation protected
On December 7, 2014, the “day that shall live in infamy,” Nessie was the first soul rescued by the Houston Fire Department from her human mom’s burning Montrose apartment. Her canine sister Pepsi was the next. Their mom, Carla, wasn’t home when the fire started, and found out about the fire from a caller who had gotten her number from Pepsi’s ID collar. Nessie, a horribly abused stray who was scheduled to be euthanized THE NEXT DAY when she was rescued from the city’s BARC shelter six years before, bolted. Witnesses knew the direction she took off, but nothing more.
Although the apartment was destroyed and Carla was technically homeless after the fire, which destroyed most of her possessions, furnishings, clothes and shoes, she went into a laser-focused search mode. For two months, Carla criss-crossed the city, meeting kind and concerned people everywhere, following up on Nessie sightings, making signs and following any and all leads. And, on Super Bowl Sunday, a woman not watching the Super Bowl but walking her dog saw Nessie and contacted Carla. By that time, Nessie had lost half of her body weight and was in desperate straits. With the help of the River Oaks Patrol, and after eight weeks of round-the-clock searching, Carla’s Nessie walked up to her mom and put her head on her shoulder. She burrowed into Carla’s lap, and if I had to guess, I imagine there was a big, strong patrol man wiping his eyes at that moment.
Some people would say Carla lost just about everything, including the job she was supposed to start the next day. But she has friends, old and new, her dogs, and she is ecstatic about that, and has moved into a new place with the help of friends. On a practical note, though, Carla is going to have large vet bills for a dog who is now emaciated, whose feet are torn up from walking. And, Carla still is facing the expenses of rebuilding her life.
If you can donate to help this sweet old dog it would be a huge kindness to a woman who has worked harder than most of us can imagine to get her dog home. Carla just wanted her dog after the fire. She got her back, and if we can make the landing a little softer on her pocketbook, that would be an extra blessing.
Although the apartment was destroyed and Carla was technically homeless after the fire, which destroyed most of her possessions, furnishings, clothes and shoes, she went into a laser-focused search mode. For two months, Carla criss-crossed the city, meeting kind and concerned people everywhere, following up on Nessie sightings, making signs and following any and all leads. And, on Super Bowl Sunday, a woman not watching the Super Bowl but walking her dog saw Nessie and contacted Carla. By that time, Nessie had lost half of her body weight and was in desperate straits. With the help of the River Oaks Patrol, and after eight weeks of round-the-clock searching, Carla’s Nessie walked up to her mom and put her head on her shoulder. She burrowed into Carla’s lap, and if I had to guess, I imagine there was a big, strong patrol man wiping his eyes at that moment.
Some people would say Carla lost just about everything, including the job she was supposed to start the next day. But she has friends, old and new, her dogs, and she is ecstatic about that, and has moved into a new place with the help of friends. On a practical note, though, Carla is going to have large vet bills for a dog who is now emaciated, whose feet are torn up from walking. And, Carla still is facing the expenses of rebuilding her life.
If you can donate to help this sweet old dog it would be a huge kindness to a woman who has worked harder than most of us can imagine to get her dog home. Carla just wanted her dog after the fire. She got her back, and if we can make the landing a little softer on her pocketbook, that would be an extra blessing.
Organizer
Jane Crowder Schmitt
Organizer
Houston, TX
