Welcome!

So I guess, in starting a blog, it is best to begin with how we got here. My part is equal parts complicated and simple, depending on how you wish to look at it. But the blog is not for me, so we will simply say that I have a heart for rescuing dogs and always have. Joslyn, well, her story is why you’re here, I assume, so I think we can start with that instead.

Much of Josyln’s past is a mystery. Who knows where she came from, or how she ended up in someone’s yard, heavily pregnant. Her story is exactly like so many of the shelter dogs in this country: strays down on their luck, just looking for a safe place to go where they can at least find some food every once in a while. Mostly, good Samaritans will feed them for a little while, until they cause a problem or start having puppies. And then they end up at the county shelter.

The shelter’s purpose is a good one. It’s meant to be a safe haven for animals, a place for them to have food and, well, shelter, until they are either reclaimed by their distraught owners or adopted into new, loving families. But as with most systems, there is a problem. A huge problem. Supply and demand don’t exactly meet up, and I so wish I could say it was in the favour if the supplier, but it’s just not. There are MILLIONS of animals in this country that are homeless, and there are MILLIONS of animals in this country who are put to sleep every day because there just aren’t enough homes. There are approximately 12 dogs (yes, you read that right, TWELVE) for every ONE human born. While I would love to own 12 dogs, it is neither legal nor feasible for me to do so, nor do I expect anyone else to do so. Where does that leave us? I could go on a rant here about irresponsible breeders and uneducated owners and a gigantic failure to promote spaying and neutering in our country, but I’d rather keep this blog rant-free. You can do your own research on that front. Let’s get back to our little lost Mama, shall we?

So, Joselyn wound up in the county shelter with the odds against her. I mean, seriously against her. And this is in a shelter with very dedicated workers who obviously care a LOT about their animals, who do everything they can to get as many dogs as possible out into rescues. Imagine shelters where the workers don’t care! It happens, sadly. Thankfully, because of the hard work of the shelter employees, I happened upon Joselyn’s picture in a rescue forum. She was so heavily pregnant in the picture, it was almost painful to just look at her, and sure enough, the little girl had EIGHT babies not long after.

For many reasons, four of Jos’s babies died. This is really not unusual in stray puppy litters where the mother is not in the best physical condition, nor is it rare in cases where the mom dog is so small. So now there were five lives at stake, waiting for a rescue to open up to take them.

I scrambled through a week of networking, on day one thinking there was no way I would be responsible for these guys making it out of the shelter. But one piece of the puzzle after another just seemed to fall into place. I found out Joselyn had a sponsorship. I discovered my friend was willing to foster. My rescue was full but there were people who knew people who were willing to go out on a limb for me, for this little family. I honestly couldn’t believe when everything fell into place. So it was that I found myself driving 7 hours into West Virginia on the hottest day in ten years to pick up Jos and her babies.

And so ends Part One. Stay tuned! Also, next post will include pictures, since I know that's what everyone's always waiting on!