As the cofounder of Fetch Dog Rescue, a nonprofit based in Westport, Connecticut, Jessie Shaw regularly receives photos of pups in need. Recently, Shaw got a message from Roadside Rescue Network, a partner organization in Mississippi, and the picture attached made her heart drop.
Someone had dumped a trash can outside the rescue’s sanctuary. Inside, 11 shivering puppies struggled to survive.
“[There] had been a very, very bad rainstorm,” Shaw told The Dodo. “And so the puppies were almost drowning.”
The weeks-old pups were stacked on top of each other and could barely move. Their rescuer quickly grabbed them out of the bin and rushed them to the vet.
The puppies soon received lifesaving care. Roadside Rescue Network kept them for a few weeks while they recovered. Then, Shaw began looking for suitable homes. The dog lover wanted to make sure that each pup found the best match.
“I personally interviewed every single family that adopted them,” Shaw said. “And I did home visits with them to make sure that they were the perfect fit.”
Today, all 11 puppies are happy in their permanent homes.
Shaw hopes this story encourages community members to spay and neuter their dogs. The animal advocate dreams of a day when local governments pass spay and neuter laws, so that situations like this stop happening.
Reflecting on the rescue, Shaw can’t help but smile, knowing that she made a difference in the lives of these pups.
“There’s nothing better than that,” Shaw said. “It makes me feel so happy. It gives me the motivation to continue to keep going.”