Cooperative Living March/April 2020 - 14

CoverFocus | by Dana Penney, Contributing Writer
are left to fend for themselves. They are starving, injured and
suffer from horrible skin conditions. Because of Ethan, I chose
to try and help dogs coming from Texas, though many dogs
in Virginia and all over the country also need help.
Willow, a spirited cattle dog, turned up in an area in Mission,
Dana Penney with
Nutmeg, a rescue
doxie from Alabama.
Extend a Helping Paw
The director of accounting at A&N Electric
Cooperative on why she fosters dogs
grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with a strong love
for animals. I grew up with dogs and have always had at least
one, but I was never exposed to the reality of the suffering
that so many dogs go through until I found Ethan, a mangecovered
terrier, on a Texas rescue website.
When the rescue got to him, he was on a euthanasia list at
a shelter near the border of Mexico, an area notorious for stray
and unwanted dogs with euthanasia rates as high as 90%
are not uncommon. Ethan was thin and covered in mange.
A wonderful lady in Texas was fostering him; she was fondly
called the " mange mama " because she takes in and heals dogs
with mange. Without someone stepping up to foster, the rescue
organization could not have saved Ethan. Once he healed,
Ethan was transported, along with 56 other pre-adopted dogs,
from San Antonio to Darien, Ill., where I picked him up.
I became long-distance friends with Ethan's foster. After
hearing her stories and seeing pictures of the conditions so
many of these dogs are forced to live in, I just knew I needed
to do something to help.
Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, the group I work with, pulls a lot
of dogs from Texas and the South, where conditions can be
unimaginable. So many dogs go unvaccinated, uncared for and
12 | Cooperative Living | March-April 2020
I
Texas, known as a dumping ground for dogs. Improbably, she
ended up at the foster's neighbor's brother's doorstep before
Rescue Dogs Rock NYC took her in.
After six months with her Texas foster, Rescue Dogs Rock
moved her north. I became her foster, then adopted her after
seven months, though most rescue dogs that pass through
my home are only there for a month or two.
Nutmeg and Drummer, a pair of 2-year-old doxies
(dachshund-beagle mix), were pulled from a hoarding situation
in Alabama where they lived with 65 other dachshunds and
Chihuahuas in a small, outdoor pen. Rescue Dogs Rock took
in 24 of them. They spent three weeks at a veterinarian's office
where they were spayed or neutered, vaccinated and treated
before a transport took them to Delaware. I picked them up
there in early January.
They're my sixth and seventh fosters. They were extremely
timid when they first arrived and clung to each other. They
pancaked to the ground as soon as you approached them.
They didn't know what a toy or a treat was. Three weeks later,
they have become more confident, playful and affectionate.
Nutmeg has been adopted and will be at her new home in
New York by the time you read this.
It is very easy to foster. Rescues cover all medical costs; some
even cover food and incidentals. It is a great way to bring a dog
into your home for a time without having to make a lifetime
commitment.
Rescues always need help, whether it be helping with
fostering, transportation, adoption events or donations of items
or dollars. There is something for anyone who is willing to give
just a little to help save a life.
A reminder: Yes, puppies are cute, but please consider adult
and senior dogs when adopting. You will bypass the potty
training, chewing,
play biting and other
things that come
with a puppy. Adult
and senior dogs often
come trained and
will still provide
many years of
unconditional love.
These dogs are not
broken. They're just
bruised. With a little
time and love, they
will repay you a
Drummer came with Nutmeg from
terrible conditions in Alabama.
hundred times over for giving them a chance.
A rescue friend's motto is Live Like a Dog. They can put
the past behind them, always live in the moment and love
unconditionally. What a great way to live! 
Dana Penney has been with A&N Electric Cooperative
for 15 years. For more, visit rescuedogsrocknyc.org or
Dana's Facebook page (dana.penney.12).
co-opliving.com
http://www.rescuedogsrocknyc.org http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living March/April 2020

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