Some of St Francis Animal Sanctuary's (SFAS) Rescue Stories

Sport's Story

Sport came to SFAS in 2006. He was found running in traffic on a busy highway and faced certain injury had he not been picked up. Efforts to find Sport's family were unsuccessful and he adjusted wonderfully to life at SFAS.

 

Right from the beginning, we knew that Sport needed to be with a family, and with that in mind, scheduled him to go on our next transport to California.
Once in California, Sport was immediately adopted by a wonderful couple. Sport's new parents wrote to SFAS:

 

"We are thankful to have Sport in our lives and think he is happy to have us as well."

 

We are so thankful to Sport's new family and to all of the caring people who make our adoption transports possible.

 

Frida's Story

This pretty little gal came to SFAS from Louisiana where she was found wandering in a park. Her foster family asked us to take her as she needed expensive medical treatment that they were unable to provide. She was named Shadow at first because of her shy and timid nature. Shadow's left eye was badly infected and had to be removed. Shadow decided to accompany us one day to an adoption event in Covington, LA. She must have sensed that this day was going to be a life-changing one for her and two lucky ladies! Sister's Pet Pics, a professional pet photography company, has a studio inside one of our favorite pet supply stores; Good Dog Naturally. The folks at Good Dog were hosting our adoption event that day and the "Sisters" were there. One look at little Miss Shadow and that was all it took! Now renamed "Frida Kahlo, the Amazing and Talented Mexican Dog", or Frida for short, this gal has shown what a new loving home can do for a dog! We are so very grateful to the "Sisters" who tell us:

 

"We think Frida is happy in her new home...she seems to like us almost as much as we love her!"

 

Dawn's Story

This hard-working mom and her pups are the inspiration for the Sanctuary's first Maternity Ward!

SFAS earnestly advocates spay and neuter for all cats and dogs who come to live with us, as well as for all pets in our communities. It is also our policy to spay and neuter any animal we make available for private adoption prior to the animal leaving our Sanctuary. What then, you may ask, are we doing with all of these kittens and puppies? Pregnant mothers and brand new litters are often abandoned by their owners because the responsibility or cost is too great. People who feed strays often find that "their" stray shows up either pregnant or with a new litter and they are desperate to get rid of the mom, the babies or both. St. Francis gives sanctuary to pregnant mothers and new mothers with alarming regularity as the new or soon-to-be "parent" is a particularly dependent and vulnerable animal.

 

These are photos of Dawn and all seven of her puppies.
Rolf	Sequel	Pickle	Petra
McKala	McKinsey	Moe	Dawn

Dawn and her seven puppies are but one (albeit precious) example of the latest addition to our animal family. Mother dogs are inherently generous providers, and with the right surroundings they often do most of the work. As the litter gets older, mom and her pups need space to move away from each other and learn more about dog manners and independence. Once puppies begin to eat solid food, mom cleans up after them less and less. Of course, once the pups have teeth, mom wants her own space as nursing becomes painful. Dawn and her babies inspired our CareGivers to get creative and provide a safe, private and healthy environment for mother dogs and their litters.
 

Pam Perez and the CareGivers decided to convert a metal storage shed into such a facility and we are quite proud of our first attempt at an exclusive Maternity Ward. We know that the Maternity Ward is a temporary facility and one upon which we will build as we are able to. Dawn and her puppies taught us many things about how to provide a space that facilitates the level of care a new mother and her family deserve. 

 

If you'd like to know more about the Maternity Ward and the costs associated with rescuing a full litter, click here.