The Cumberland Co Animal Control Shelter in NC picked up a paralyzed dog recently who was suffering from numerous drag sores. Many facilities might have put him on the kill list for “medical” reasons but Cumberland Co didn’t do that. They treated his wounds and reached out to an online vendor of canine wheelchairs for assistance. The group donated a set of wheels for the dog, named Scooter, and he learned to use them.
Now, Cumberland Co hopes to adopt Scooter out as a therapy dog to help the disabled. The staff feels he has a good temperament for work as a therapy dog but if that doesn’t turn out to be the case, they will adopt him out as a pet. His donated wheelchair will go with him, wherever he goes. Here is the shelter’s press release promoting Scooter for adoption.
The bottom line: Cumberland Co wanted this dog to live a long and happy life from the moment they got him. And they found ways to make that happen. Good on them. Isn’t this what every shelter should be doing for the pets in their care?
This is so uplifting! The dog deserves to live a full and happy life and now he really has the wheels to do just that. Memphis could take a few lessons from Cumberland Co.
And the difference between this shelter’s approach to animal “control” and MAS’s?
Compassion.
Dear MAS – you can’t kill your way to population control. Obviously. You’ve been at it all this time and you’re not running out of animals, are you? Maybe, just maybe it’s time to try something different? Start with compassion. It’s so novel for you, it just might work.
Where there is a will there is a way! I hope this story hit the papers on and off line. Wish other animal shelters had the kind of people that are willing to do what they can to save more animal lives. We need to make our leaders aware that this is what we want – every pet to get a fair chance.
I like that a resource has now been identified to go to for such a device, handicappedpets.com. I will make my local shelter aware of this organization should the need arise for a pet with this type of handicap.
Finally a good story coming out of North Carolina.
i am totally 100% happy for Scooter- that is awesome and i applaud the shelter for going to such lengths
One thought i had when reading this article was that- had i read the opposite- that a dog had been hit by a car, had wounds and was paralyzed, and the result was that the dog had been euthanized, i think i would’ve felt ok with that result- that it seemed like a signficant, obvious enough medical problem that a euthansia decision would not have been unwarranted. And that this would not have been killing, but true euthanasia.
But, that being said, i stand by my original statement above, that this is awesome news that this NC shelter had the ability, desire, and resources to go the extra mile for this dog
North Carolina doesn’t have a very good reputation when it comes to their animals shelters. This is one shelter out of maybe thousands… one County out of 100 counties..Not a very good percentage. And yes.. I live here in this State. What the shelters do here make me sick.
So now we have “Scooter” before that, there was “Chamberlain” and “Susie”. Bless the ones that helped this dog.. we need more people like them..
That’s the kind of story I wish were more common. Go, Scooter!