Rescue Tails - Stories from SCAS Volunteers
Coconut
One of our own experiences the horror of animal cruelty to one of their own - this is their letter to our local newspaper.
WHAT ONE BULLET STOLE FROM US
On Thursday, November 13 at around 1 PM, someone shot one of our dogs, Coconut. It was in the vicinity of Harper Valley Rd. in Mineral Bluff. I had just taken our dogs for their daily walk (Karen was in Knoxville), and Coconut had lagged a little behind at the end. This was not unusual - she knows where she lives and always shows up shortly. On this day, however, there was a lot of shooting going on nearby. That's not unusual - one of the benefits of living in the country is being able to target practice on your own property. At around 1:30 PM I was ready to do some errands and went to find Coconut. I found her behind the house, cold, wet and bleeding badly. I wrapped her in towel and rushed her to Dr. Mitchell at Copper Basin and Vet Clinic. He immediately diagnosed a gunshot wound and took an x-ray, that showed no lodged bullet and a large exit wound. He did what he could to stop the bleeding and decided to keep her overnight. Coconut did not make it through the night. Karen had rushed home from Knoxville to see Coconut, but had failed to get home by closing time at the vets. We can't help but think of Coconut in a kennel, in pain, afraid, and dying alone - never knowing where we were or why she was being punished. And Karen never got to say goodbye. What was stolen from us by that one bullet? Of course, Coconut is gone. She was only five and had lots of years left as a companion, friend, and foot warmer (she loved it under the covers). She deserved better than this. Also stolen in some part is our innocence. We still love the North Georgia mountains. We love the peace and tranquility of living on a dirt road with only a handful of neighbors, almost all of whom look out for our pets and even carry biscuits for them. And we, in turn, look out for and sometimes take care of their pets. But our morning walks will now, to some extent, always feel like a walk through enemy territory. Coconut never strayed very far from home, and the mere fact that she managed to struggle home in spite of a mortal wound shows someone very near us, either a neighbor or a frustrated hunter, put her in their sights and pulled the trigger. If they could shoot a tiny white dog that that could never have posed a threat to them, what or who else might they be willing to shoot? This incident has also sorely tested our commitment to some of the tenets by which we try to conduct our lives: "Love thy neighbor", "Turn the other cheek" and "Judge not...". Its just so hard to forgive and love in the face of such mindless violence against one of God's innocent creatures. Maybe it was an accident, but if it was that doesn't make us feel any better. It just means that bullets are flying, and who knows who the next victim might be? Are we to blame? In some part, yes. We try to be responsible dog owners, but one of the advantages to living in the country has been the option of occasionally letting our dogs run free. There was always some risk, but their joy in running free and playing is almost palpable. We guess this is something we won't be able to do any more - the fear is now just too great. In any case, we wish to express our gratitude to Dr. Mitchell and his wonderful staff at Copper Basin and Vet Clinic, who never fail to provide heroic assistance when called upon. 
Thanks also to the Fannin County Sheriff's Department and especially Officer Patterson who responded promptly to take our report and showed true compassion. If you live anywhere near Harper Valley Rd., Sun Valley Rd. or Mull Rd., just beware that someone is shooting pets or at least being very reckless with their shooting.
If you know anything about this senseless killing, please call either of us at 706-492-3118 or contact the Fannin County Sheriff's Department at 706-632-2044 (case # ).
Ed Benson
Karen Kemmler
Mineral Bluff, GA
Sydney and Donatello
SCAS Volunteers, Laura and Mike Burns, recount the story of two neglected and abused dogs who, with their aid are on the road to recovery.
During the dead of winter 2007 right before the holidays, Karen Wilson was informed by another animal lover, Stacey Woods, about 2 homes next door to each other in Turtletown, Tn. The families were being evicted and
were unfortunately, leaving all their animals behind. When members of the group went to rescue these animals, they were stunned and shocked
at the amount of dogs and cats there were, and the filthy, unsanitary environment that they lived in. One of the homes had approximately 30 cats inside that were starving. The first day, we rescued 10 dogs and 2 litters of puppies. Throughout the next couple of months, various members had to take the long drive over to keep feeding the animals that were left behind until they could be rescued. Donatello and Sydney came into our lives after we trapped them and brought them into Dr. Mitchell of Copper Basin who is always kind to all the animals of the area. Donatello had lived under the porch of one of the homes with garbage everywhere and huge rats roaming the property, and Sydney was confined to a pen filled with a deplorable layer of her own feces. Donatello had a massive abscess on his neck and was extremely malnourished when they brought him to the vet. Dr. Mitchell requested that he stay at their facility for a bit to be monitored. We picked him up a few weeks later and fell in love with him immediately. A couple of months passed, and even though he was very content with his current situation, he still had this abscess that would not heal (even after 3 invasive surgeries). One morning, I was placing a hot compress on his neck to keep the wound clean, and noticed a shiny object at the surface. Turns out, Donatello had been shot with a .38 caliber bullet and it had fragmented inside his neck. Dr. Belyeu at Ocoee Animal Hospital (another terrific supporter of our group) did emergency surgery on him the next day and retrieved the bullet. Today, his neck is healed and the fur is starting to grow back and he is now one very happy animal! Thank you to all the members that were involved in this rescue and to help make these animals lives so much better!
Ilene
A young mischievous kitten wonders into trouble, losing a leg in the process
Ilene was 3 months old, living with 3 siblings and a little girl who loved her. Unfortunately, Ilene was also very curious and mischievous and found herself in trouble one day. She was missing for 3 days before she made her way home, dragging her left hind leg behind her. It was apparent she had gotten her leg caught either in some fencing, a snare or perhaps an animal’s mouth. The injury was extensive and necessitated amputating the leg. The family could no longer afford to care for her because of the vet expenses and the special needs of the cat during rehabilitation. Thanks to SCAS volunteers and donors, Ilene made a full recovery, and lives the life all cats wish they could in her new adoptive home.
Mia
A cat with 4 kittens has her leg shattered by a pellet gun
Mia was taken to the Gilmer County Animal Control facility July 2007. She had 4 kittens with her and a front leg that had been shattered by a pellet gun. Second Chance was called in September to please come in and help, which is how we rescued Mia. This was the beginning of a long succession of vet visits and different treatments to try and save Mia’s leg. A leg splint was put on for 30 days but did little to stabilize the leg. Next, 2 steel pins were inserted but these too failed. Finally, the leg was amputated on January 12th, 2008. Mia is now pain free and has completely adapted to being a 3-legged cat as she has been on 3 legs since being shot in July. Mia does not require any special treatment. She handles stairs, jumping on and off the bed and other cat activities quite well. The medical treatments that Mia and other special needs animals receive require a great deal of money. Thanks to donors of SCAS, Mia is now living very comfortably in her new home.
Jasmine
A rescue from a high kill shelter requires emergency care
Jasmine is approximately 7 mos. old. She was rescued from a high kill shelter and shortly after ward she started to develop swollen mammaries. Her condition very quickly escalated into mammary hyperplasia and the only ‘cure’ was to spay her. Unfortunately, she was so swollen, the vet was unable to get through the abdomen and had to make a second incision in her side. The first 24 hours after surgery she did quite well but then declined quite rapidly with difficulty breathing, low body temperature and anemia. She was rushed to an emergency clinic where she was treated with very aggressive antibiotics and placed in an incubator with oxygen. There she remained for 4 days. As you can see, she has recovered from her bout with pneumonia and is on her way to mending. Jasmine’s medical bills were quite extensive but thanks to Second Chance's caring donors, she was able to receive the vet care she needed. We at Second Chance are dedicated to helping any animal in need, even at great cost.