This holiday season, so many of us want to be anywhere but home. But for stray and abandoned cats and dogs, the only thing they’re asking Santa Paws for this year is to go home.
Last year, one-year-old Wafer spent the holidays out in the cold. As beloved family pets enjoyed the warmth provided by safe shelter and loving humans, Wafer’s best bet was to survive the winter in storm drains and bushes. As a stray in need of a second chance, this tabby cat luckily caught the eye of a good Samaritan who contacted Second Chance to see if we could help with a kitty whose arm “looked a little funny.” Wafer arrived at our adoption center on December 31, 2019 and rang in the new year with the promise of a new life.
Upon assessing Wafer’s arm at intake, we had to agree it looked a little funny—it was frozen in place, held out from her body and bent at an angle. She had surely been injured long before so her arm had atrophied.
Because of our generous donors, Wafer received high-quality medical care immediately; though the injury appeared to have happened long enough ago so as to no longer cause her any pain, her arm was entirely useless to her when it came to walking, running, playing, or climbing. Worse, in its permanent position protruding from her body, it was actually a hindrance and a risk: it could be bad news if her arm got caught on, or in, something. We amputated Wafer’s arm and, with youth on her side, she healed beautifully.
Injured and alone in December, healing and hoping in January, Wafer did soon get to celebrate one holiday in style: just before Valentine’s Day 2020, she found the love of her life. She met her match in Carson and went to her forever home on February 8, where she is safe and spoiled. You can see Wafer—now Mia—jump, pounce, and run at home: click HERE!
While Mia settled into her new home, other animals remained on the street—like Gingerbread. Back in July, some good Samaritans looking out for a few roaming dogs asked Second Chance if we could take them once trapped. We committed to all four dogs, but unfortunately, two of the dogs that they referred to as “Romeo and Juliet” evaded capture for some time.
With deer cams set up at the feeding stations, it became clear by August that “Juliet” was pregnant and by September that she had given birth. Per the advice of a veterinarian, trapping efforts were paused so that she could nourish her babies in her den and get them through the first few precarious weeks.
After observing through the camera what appeared to be an injury, the locals knew it was time to trap the pack so mama could get the help she needed. For hours, they searched a wooded area for her den, inspecting every path, tree, and structure they came across. Mark Dove, heading the local MARN rescue team, found what seemed to be mama’s old den, no longer in use. With expert skill, he followed a dirt trail—a trail that would have looked like nothing to most folks—and found the babies at the end of the trail…in the base of a tree trunk! Watch the discovery HERE!
Mark scooped them out, built a massive trap for mama, and put a few of the babies (safely caged) inside. He also played an audio track through his cell phone made to sound like crying puppies. He succeeded in luring mama to the trap, but she paced outside of it, anxious about going in. At long last, her maternal instinct took over and she entered. Renamed Gingerbread, she now lives in the safety of a foster home, and all 8 of her puppies are happy, healthy, and thriving!
Cats like Wafer and dogs like Gingerbread and her babies deserve the world…but they ask for even less—they just want to be given the gift of a home. Not a storm drain, not a tree trunk—a true, proper home, where they can depend on their families to meet their needs and love them all of their lives. Our staff and volunteers are ready to receive the stray and abandoned cats and dogs who need help, we are ready to give them shelter and nutritious food and medical care, we are ready to get them home—but we cannot do this life-saving work without your support.
Can you donate today to ensure more animals are safer at home in 2021?
