Help Save My Mom's Dogs

Many of you know my Mom, many of you were taught in the 3rd and 4th grade by my Mom. If you don't know my Mom I can tell you that she is an amazing lady who taught school for 30+ years and had a love for special needs children and making sure that they received the care, attention and education that they so deserve. My entire life my Mom has been an animal lover. Fifteen years ago my Mom was widowed and then shortly after she retired from teaching.

For the past 10 years my Mom has successfully and professionally operated a fully licensed animal rescue which is headquartered on her 8 acres in rural Pine Mountain, GA. Every single Saturday and Sunday my Mom holds pet adoptions at Pet Smart near Columbus, GA. Over the course of her adult life my Mom has saved hundreds of dogs.... hundreds. She devotes every penny of her retirement and every minute of her time to animal rescue.

Over the course of the past 10 years my Mom has passed every Department of Agriculture inspection that she has undergone. Every animal in her care has been spayed, neutered, is up-to-date on all shots, is treated for fleas, ticks and has heartworm prevention. If the animal control officers in my home town have a heartworm positive dog, they call my Mom and she takes them in. My Mom routinely spends thousands of dollars for surgery to save a dog’s life. My Mom has a love for senior dogs, dogs with 3 legs, dogs with no eyes, any special needs dog......my Mom will rescue.

Last Tuesday, after a workman that had been to her home complained to a relative that works with the DOA, my Mom was inspected and cited for two small infractions (towels hanging on a commercial sink in her kennel building was one of the items). On Tuesday she was issued a "warning". On Thursday morning, before she was awake the DOA returned and without further warning seized all of her animals. The dogs that were seized are both her rescue dogs and her personal dogs. Thursday was a terrible day for my Mom as she watched dogs being traumatized by capture, being put into small kennels in the hot sun for hours and hours, dogs injured while being seized and one dog that died in transport from the stress.

The vets that my Mom partners with came immediately to her home to try to help her when they heard what was happening. The vets were ordered off of her property and she had to endure this tragedy alone for hours and hours. Today another vet from my hometown went to the attorney with my Mom and went the Chief of Police on my Mom's behalf.

Other rescue organizations that know and love my Mom have come together to claim and adopt almost every dog that was seized on Thursday.

I spent the day at my Mom's house yesterday and I can assure you that there is no reason for these animals, that she cares for, loves and gives the best medical care to, should have been removed from her care. The reason that vets and other rescues are rallying around her is because they know how wonderful she is to every animal.

The dogs that remain at Animal Control are my Mom's personal dogs. On Friday Animal Control informed me that her dogs would be held until she goes to court on her misdemeanor code violations which isn't until the end of January. As you can imagine this is devastating for my Mom as these are her babies. She has dogs that are 16 and 17 years old, she has two Great Danes, one that needs PT for a broken shoulder (from a car wreck sometime ago) and those dogs must remain in a shelter environment for 3 months.

I need to help raise money for her legal fees so that we can do all that we can to expedite the legal situation and for the fees that she will be forced to pay when her dogs are returned. Please consider donating to help return my Mom's dogs to her and to their home.