Fireplace crackling. Hot chocolate mug steaming. A furry friend snoozing at your side. Even tough winters have their comforts.
A freezing night. A neglected dog crumpled in the corner of a sparse doghouse, no body fat or blankets to keep her warm. An abandoned cat, chilled to the bone, scavenging but unable to find food under a layer of snow and ice. Tough winters end their lives.
This winter, over 600 cats and dogs who were homeless at some point in 2019 no longer face the impossible choice of either exposing themselves to the elements to search for food or hunkering down to preserve body heat. Today, they enjoy the gifts of safety, comfort, and love with their forever families…
all because YOU were there to help them get a second chance.
This winter will be the first that Arnie and Ollie get to bask in the warmth of being part of a family. Their “home” last winter? A bare wire cage in a dark and disgusting garage. Purchased as 8-week-old puppies for a teenager, Maltese-mixes Arnie and Ollie were never potty-trained and were instead confined to a crate in the house. The teen’s father got sick of smelling the dogs, so he booted them to the garage, where the boys were left to urinate and defecate in their cage—and then stand, sit, and sleep in it, paws stained brown with waste. When a passerby heard the dogs screaming, she demanded the dad open the garage door, shining light on the abuse within.
After the good Samaritan threatened to call Animal Control, the man agreed to surrender the puppies and they moved into the foster home of Judy Benrud, one of the three women who founded Second Chance Pet Adoptions in the 1980s. “Ben” and “Jerry,” as we knew them, joined the ranks of the 15,000 or so cats and dogs we’ve rescued from dire straits over more than three decades.
Each and every one of them found love because generous people like you fostered, volunteered, donated, and adopted.
So, too, did Arnie (Ben) and Ollie (Jerry). Today, Arnie’s mom finds it almost impossible to put into words how much they love their (well-trained) “happy-go-lucky love bug.” Ollie’s mom, meanwhile, says she “can’t imagine our lives without him.”
