Paw N Hand works to rescue animals
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on October 14, 2016 9:57 AM
When Rico was rescued from his flooded home off Brock Street Thursday, he had just a tiny piece of dry ground he had been living on. He had not eaten since Saturday, and he was dehydrated.
If he had not been rescued by volunteers with Paw N Hand rescue group, the dog probably would have died.
But that won't happen now because volunteer Linda Turner got a tow truck to take her to rescue Rico, and he's now in a foster home until he can be reunited with his family.
"The owner reached out to us and asked us to rescue him and find him a foster home until the owner could get back into the home," Ms. Turner said. "We'll get him in his temporary home and get him fed and make sure he's hydrated and give him some love and attention."
The Mastiff mix was terrified when Ms. Turner found him.
"It took him a few minutes to warm up to me," she said. "He slowly came around. But he did not want to leave home. The tow truck operator had to pick him up and put him in the truck. Then he rode with his head squished against my lap the whole way back, shaking. He was very scared. But he's a very sweet boy."
Ms. Turner and other volunteers with Paw N Hand have done several of these pet rescues since Hurricane Matthew devastated Wayne County.
She said a lot of the rescues have been with the assistance of EZ Bait and Tackle boats and employees.
"Dwayne Bevel has gone above and beyond to help us rescue pets," said Scarlett Firestone with Paw N Hand. "They have braved treacherous water to try to get to these animals."
Like the rescue Monday night in Avalon Apartments on Benton Street.
"The guys went down there and pulled out two dogs from one apartment and a cat and a guinea pig from another apartment," Ms. Turner said. "They were all safe, but obviously scared and hungry. The owner got the two dogs back, but Scarlett is holding onto the cat and guinea pig."
Then there was the German shepherd that almost drowned.
"She was neck deep in water and her chain was holding her down," Ms. Firestone said. "The sheriff's department cut her chain and freed her."
But damage was already done. The dog had to be taken to the vet because she got an infection. She's still at the vet, on antibiotics and having blood work done to see what's going on with her.
"She's the first one we rescued Sunday," Ms. Firestone said. "Five minutes later and she would have drowned. The water was rising around her."
Not every rescue attempt is successful.
"We've tried to go out on the boat in several areas, but unfortunately, the current is so strong that some places are not accessible right now," Ms. Turner said. "We went Wednesday to Arrington Bridge Road trying to rescue a dog and we didn't get very far at all. The current kept pushing us into the tree line."
The rescue group is working closely with local fire departments to rescue pets left behind. It has also teamed up with the emergency operations center so when it gets calls about pets in danger, the calls are passed onto Paw N Hand.
"A lot of people did not anticipate how long they were going to have to leave their pet," Ms. Firestone said. "Some people left only a bowl of food and a bowl of water and that's not going to last their pet until potentially next week. Some others did leave a whole bag of food out and a bunch of water and just hoped they could get back to their pet.
"We fear some of these pets are going to drown or starve, and those are the ones we're out here trying to get. We received a call about a poodle over in Seven Springs that the person said it had no food or water and has been inside since Saturday. That animal's obviously going to the top of the list."
"We do this because these pets can't fend for themselves and they didn't choose to get left behind," Ms. Turner said, tears streaming down her face and onto Rico, whom she had just rescued.
"We love animals," Ms. Firestone said. "They have been left behind, whether unintentionally or intentionally, to starve, go without water and potentially drown, and we're not going to let that happen if we have any say in it."
Paw N Hand is finding foster homes for most of the rescues, but some have had to be taken to the animal shelter.
For the ones being foster, the needs are many. Large kennels are one need. Other items include blankets, bedding, treats, toys.
"We also need high quality food because a lot of these animals are going to have lost weight," Ms. Turner said.
The group could also use gift cards to purchase needed supplies. Anyone wanting to help with donations for vet bills may call Quality Care Animal Hospital in Four Oaks at 919-963-3044.
Food or other donations may be made by messaging the group's Facebook page or emailing the group at pawnhandnc@gmail.com. Supplies may also be dropped off at Pet Supplies Plus. Be sure to put Paw N Hand on the donation.
If anyone has a building he or she could donate to the group for the duration of the rescue efforts, the group would appreciate it.
"That would be amazing if we had somewhere safe to keep these pets where volunteers could go through and feed them and spend time with them and even the owners could go see them," Ms. Turner said. "It would help the owners heal and the pets heal."
Anyone who sees a pet that needs to be rescued should call the Wayne County Office of Emergency Service at 919-731-1125 and be prepared to give an address or the nearest street corner and information about what situation the pet is in.