After one day at the Best Friends rescue center, “experience” has a new meaning.
The dogs and cats are amazing. Words like full of spirit, courageous, ready to get on with their lives only partially describes what you see in their eyes. Maybe better words are determination, grit, and knowing they are in loving hands.
The feeling I got from everyone was that team spirit of getting things done, no matter what the job. Writing a story, helping take out an extra heavy load of trash, walking the dogs for an hour, it’s just another busy day here at Tylertown, Mississippi.
The dogs and cats are assigned numbers, since these rescued animals have names but we don’t know what their person called them. As I walked around on my first day here, however, I could not help but give some of them names in my head. Number 817B, for instance, a chow with one eye – what else, one-eyed Joe. Or the mournful hound dog, of course – you ain’t nothing but a …. And the black cat with the shining eyes – Ziggy to me.
The “back 40” dogs, all breeds, all sizes, all temperaments, all eager to greet you. Being a cat person, I spent a good part of the day and evening visiting Kitty City and The Cat Barn. The cats are all colors, some shy, others eager to be petted. The FIV cats, all looking healthy and robust, just needing to get back home to their families.
The no-dollar dollar store consists of fours posts covered with a tarp where you can get needed toiletries. You also can get dog leads and treats and other necessary items for the rescued animals. And all for free, courtesy of generous donations of supplies by individuals and groups.
I got to share my work stories and hear what others were doing at the group lunches and dinners. Very good food to go with my hearty appetite.
I have been here just one day, but it seems like a week, so many animals, so many volunteers, so much work. And so much fun.
Article by David Ortiz.
