Kali's Second Chance

Second chances…..some of us have been lucky enough to have them.  Others have not been so fortunate.  But whether or not the stars were aligned for us personally, I think (or hope) we can all agree that everyone deserves that second chance.  And so Kali’s story begins with the hope of that second chance, and unlike most of fate’s fast curve balls that come out of nowhere, you actually have it within your  power to give Kali another shot at this life that is filled with some mad, mad harmony (Clarice Lispector).

It was a Saturday afternoon.  Blazing hot.  Most of the STHS staff was in the vacillating throes of suffocating heat and torrential downpours at the rabies drive in Pearl River.  Near the end of the afternoon, Kali is carried into the Humane Society.  She’d been hit by a car.  But what to do?  There would be no vet at the shelter until Monday morning.  Kali had seen better Saturday afternoons, but did not seem to be in a life threatening condition after the accident.  This is a typical snapshot moment of when animal loving staff look at each other in question, and think the following:

1.       Yes, there are rules in place for intakes.  Technically Kali is not scheduled to come into our adoption program.

      2.      We cannot heartworm test her, and are not able to take in heartworm positive dogs…..even if we can take her in.
      3.      She is hurt, and we do not have a vet.  But these folks have nowhere to turn and are not able to bring a dog home.

A few of Kali's visible injuries:

  

 But alas, these are logical thoughts, and those with higher sentiments than mere logic know that any life worth living is one peppered with many moments of irrational decisions based on the spirit and well-being of our fellow travelers.  Our fellow traveler Kali needed our help.  And Katie came to her rescue.  Enter Katie. 

Katie (17) and her mom Cynthia are truly the unsung heroes of the St. Tammany Humane Society.  Unflagging fosters and volunteers (and now Katie made official as part of the STHS kennel staff), their efforts and enthusiasm are unsurpassed and I wish were more contagious!  Cynthia and Katie (true to form) were volunteering at the rabies drive that fateful Saturday and returned to the shelter just in time to witness Kali’s dire circumstances.

 

For Katie, there was no real decision to be made.  She took Kali home with her and nursed her through what remained of her weekend.  Kali was examined by the vet on Monday.  Many of her wounds, though painful and slow to heal, are superficial.  The worst of the news:  Kali is heartworm positive.  We cannot intake Kali. 

 Now if any of you would find it easy to look Katie in the eye and tell her that her little Kali has to go to Animal Services because she is heartworm positive, you are a stronger person than I.  The cost of Kali’s heartworm treatment and 2 – 4 weeks of wound therapy is $600.  If we can raise this money through our Second Chance Fund…..yep you got….Kali gets a Second Chance.  Please help us to renew both Kali and Katie’s faith in humanity by donating to help cover the cost of Kali’s treatment so that we can all revel in illogical triumphs and second chances.

To donate to Kali's Second Chance Fund...

Mail donation to:
St. Tammany Humane Society
Second Chance Fund
20384 Harrison Ave
Covington, LA   70433

Or click here and donate via our website:  Kali's Second Chance Fund

Our Noble Girl

Three weeks ago, as I drive up to work I see someone unloading a very large dog kennel in front of our gate and drive off.  “Gosh darn (censored),” I thought, “what are we going to do with this guy?” (To explain my seeming insensitivity:  because we are a no-kill shelter, we are ALWAYS full and did not have an available kennel for a stray dog.) Upon arriving inside, I discover that someone had talked to the gentlemen and he’d picked up a German Shepherd who’d been hit by a car just minutes before. 

The poor girl was stunned and bleeding profusely.  Her leg was badly mangled and hung limply in a very unnatural position.  We posted her unfortunate circumstances and her whereabouts in as many facets as we could and waited anxiously for her owner to appear.  We waited.  And waited.  No one came.

Our surgery tech Ginger named her Noble Etta Blithe.  Why she named her this I cannot say.  It sounds like a celebrity name to me, and may very well be one…..you may be laughing now b/c I don’t know who Noble Etta Blithe is.  But I digress…..

Noble, as you’ve probably guessed, had to have that maimed leg amputated.  She struggled with this loss at first, and I would look out of my office window in the afternoon and see the surgery techs (she was kept in a kennel in our surgery area) walking her slowly in the yard while Noble limped slowly alongside them.  She made slow progress, but for the first 2 weeks kept her head low and seemed to curse her fate as she stumbled awkwardly in her melancholic stupor. 

And then about a week ago, I again looked out of my office window and was inspired to see that Noble was indeed living up to her new name.  Her gait was swift and sure, her head held high, and the only thing she was struggling with on that particular day was getting off of that hindering leash.

She’s doing great and is actually up for adoption now.  Noble Etta Blithe.  Yeah, that’s a great name.  For a great dog.  A noble dog.