First Class Ticket to a New Life

Many of you were shocked and horrified when you learned the story of Star- a beautiful red pit bull who was shot at close range by a police officer in front of her one week old puppies. The officers were arresting Star’s owner, came on to the property, and almost fatally wounded this brave mother who barked at them to protect her puppies. Star was rushed to an emergency hospital, underwent emergency surgery, and somehow survived the whole ordeal. She went on to nurse each of her eight puppies who are now ten weeks old and ready for their new life.

Becky Cloutier, a vital member of the PAWS New England team, heard about Star’s story and said she wanted to help. Becky made a promise to Star that, as soon as she and her puppies were ready to travel, Becky would drive from New England and pick them up in TN. Becky wanted to deliver Star and her babies to a new life in New England where their safety would never be compromised again.

Nine long weeks passed and Star and her puppies were finally ready for their trip. As we started to make arrangements to bring this family up North- two other stories were unfolding in the background. We hope you will read the incredible stories of the two other special needs passengers who managed to work their way into our hearts and into Becky’s caravan. Our very special cargo is currently en route and driving North. I leave in a few hours to meet Sydney, a bait dog from a fighting ring and bring her back to Washington DC. We hope that our fans will follow the story of this incredible rescue on our facebook page and get frequent updates and photos from the road. If you would like to donate to any of the animals on this trip, please consider making a donation by clicking this link.

Each week it seems that our volunteers raise the bar with their selfless and extraordinary acts. They give their limited spare time, their hearts, and every spare penny to helping these precious animals. Volunteers like Becky embody the spirit of PAWS and make us feel so proud of the work we do. Thank you, Deborah Wolstenholme for saving the lives of Star and her puppies, Julie Adams for rescuing Chloe, Jenn Frankavitz for fostering Star, Nicole Scholz for being the official copilot and photographer for this trip, Linda Robinson for fostering Chloe, and all the PAWS volunteers for being exceptional! Safe travels and congratulations to Star, her “Twinklet” puppies, Sydney, and Chloe- you will never want for anything ever again…

Many thanks,

Starbucks Lady and the Pups and Volunteers of PAWS New England

Chloe Pulled Just in Time

If you are a dog in need, I would imagine that you must pray to be seen by the one and only Julie Adams before it is too late. Chloe is a 1-2 year old mix who found herself at a pound in Missouri that gasses animals as a form of euthanasia 🙁 Chloe should have beautiful white fur, but her whole body was pink from generalized mange. Chloe was malnourished and covered in fleas when Julie found her. To make matters worse, when Julie finally carried Chloe out of the pound and set her down, she noticed that she would not bear any weight on her back leg. The vets performed xrays and noted a hip fracture that had likely happened many months ago and healed the wrong way. We can’t even imagine the pain and suffering Chloe must have endured prior to coming to Julie and PAWS New England, but Chloe holds no ill will towards humanity. In fact, her primary goal in life is to get herself in your lap. She thrives on love and has been an outstanding passenger so far on her ride North. She will be traveling to her new foster Mom, the fabulous Linda Robinson who will nurse her through mange and then major hip surgery. Chloe has a long way to go, but we will be with her every step of the way!

Sydney Saved from a Life of Horror

When this collage of photos first appeared out of Tipton, we knew we could not leave this dog behind to be euthanized. Sydney was found on the side of the road in this condition and brought to Tipton Animal Control for a “stray hold.” Her teeth were filed down, her body covered in dog bites, and she was emaciated. While we will never know for sure, we suspect that Sydney is a discarded “bait dog” forced into a life of horror by the obscenely cruel world of dog fighting. Undercover dog fighting rings are pervasive in the Memphis area and many of the victims are dumped in Tipton County so that the criminals can not be connected to the dogs they injure and kill. While much has been done to bring these rings to justice, there is a long way to go.

Sydney is one of the lucky ones. She is currently on her way to the Washington DC area where she will be given the medical attention that she needs as well as time to heal from the emotional wounds that this kind of life inflicts. We hope you will continue to follow her progress on our facebook page.