My efforts to save a life.

About two weeks ago, I noticed this border collie mix, Rocky, pop up on the Dogs In Danger website.

He’s also on Petfinder.

I’m a sucker for herding breeds, so naturally I became concerned, especially since he’s so young! 6-7 months, it says. He’s in a shelter in Visalia, CA, which is central California. It’s not an area very well known for having a high adoption rate, so most of the shelters are extremely High Kill, and when I first noticed this guy, his euthanasia date was March 17th. I’ve been trying to contact the Border Collie Rescue of So. Cal in Phelan (which is about 30 minutes from me) and have yet to hear anything back from them. I tried posting on craigslist in Visalia/Tulare, Los Angeles, and Inland Empire to see if any rescues would be able to get him and bring him down here where he might stand a chance of adoption in a rescue, but most people who replied said they are full, don’t have enough foster homes available, etc. I tried my local rescue Helping Paws, where we adopted Bindi, and they told me that they would do what they can, so I’m hopeful.

I can’t make it up there to Visalia to save this guy on my own, but I’d totally foster him if somebody could get him down here to me. But that’s half the trouble in itself. I’m waiting to hear back from Helping Paws, and am glad that apparently some of my efforts at contacting rescues and the Visalia shelter itself have not gone to waste because his euthanasia date was moved from March 17th, to March 24th, giving us more time to try and figure a way to get him out of there.

The loss of Pepper yesterday has made me all the more determined to save dogs in trouble, especially for those of which it’s still too early for them to die.

Wish Rocky luck!

~ by Kiyo on March 19, 2009.