Stand with Sophie & Stand Against Animal Cruelty

Friends, volunteers, fosters, and supporters....on Monday June 17th, we witnessed one of the most horrific cases of cruelty we have ever seen here at GSHS. Queen Sophie, as she has since been named, was brought to our facility starving, dehydrated, and unable to stand. She had pressure sores covering most of her body that had gone untreated for so long, they were oozing with infection. There was feces and urine matted all over her body. Her muscles had atrophied to the point that her rear legs looked deformed and broken. There was not an ounce of fat anywhere on her skeleton.

In all of my years of animal sheltering, I have seen some horrible things that I will never be able to forget - images that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I've had to learn to handle a situation and then deal with the emotional trauma and scars later. But on Monday evening, it was all I could do to stay composed enough to formulate a plan. The officers warned me before I walked outside to be prepared that all we may be able to do for this sweet girl might be to ease her over the Rainbow Bridge. So out I went, and they lifted up the sheet, and I had no words. I was stunned. Stunned that someone could allow this to happen to an innocent animal. Stunned that she was somehow still alive in this condition.

Then, Sophie looked up at me and wagged her tail twice. That was it. We knew she had the spirit of a fighter and she was not ready to give up. And neither were we. We called Murrells Inlet Veterinary Hospital and they had an unbelievable team of doctors and technicians standing by ready to receive this angel and start working to save her life. They bathed her, shaved her mats, did x-rays, started IV fluids and a host of medications, made a plan for laser therapy to treat her wounds, and about a billion other things to make her comfortable. Since she arrived at their facility, Sophie has received a lifetime of love and support. She still has not stood up, or walked, but she is getting stronger every day. Technicians socialize her all day long and she is examined by doctors regularly throughout the day. We feel so confident that Queen Sophie is in the absolute best hands possible.

All we can do for now is take it one day at a time. We pray that she can stand once her body is ready. We pray that her wounds will heal and that her heart will begin to mend. And we pray that the individual responsible for this reprehensible act of cruelty is brought to justice.

Jess Wnuk
Executive Director

Grand Strand Humane Society exists to improve the quality of life for companion animals by providing shelter and care to the lost, homeless, helpless and unwanted animals of our community. We focus on finding adoptive homes for the animals in our shelter, providing low-cost veterinary care to the public, and through community involvement and education further the bond between people and animals.

Grand Strand Humane Society is an open admission shelter taking in animals brought in by the City of Myrtle Beach Animal Control officers and from citizens within the Myrtle Beach city limits. Years ago we made the decision to stop euthanizing healthy, adoptable animals for space and it was the right decision and the only option for Grand Strand Humane Society. The decision did increase our financial struggle, but we will continue finding every healthy, adoptable animal a forever family as long as it is financially feasible. Because of these efforts we are now proud to be a part of the No-Kill South Carolina community.

Grand Strand Humane Society is further committed to providing excellent customer service to those people visiting our facility in the hopes that all our animals can find caring and loving homes.

Grand Strand Humane Society also strives to educate our community about responsible pet ownership and works hard to investigate and prevent animal cruelty of all kinds. We make every effort to provide all communities within our area cost-effective adoption rates as well as low-cost spay & neuter surgeries and preventative healthcare services.