So a couple months ago the gf and I went on a road trip to Eastern Kentucky to visit the largest cave system in the world and the sport climbing capital east of the Mississippi. “Go on a 10 hour road trip with your new girlfriend, Grayson,” they said. “It’ll be fun and totally stress free,” they said. Actually no one said that.
It actually ended up being a pretty awesome trip. But on the second night at Red River Gorge we had just finished an awful day of climbing and were driving back to our campsite and came upon a stray dog in the middle of the road. A stray, limping, seriously pregnant stray dog. Mind you, Erin and I are sleeping in my car, my little car, with my two dogs and we know no one and hardly know where we even are. Well you can read more about that here, but I’ll get to the point.
The amazing Estill County Animal Shelter where we took her to took great care of her and she is doing awesome now.
Betty is featured at 10:30 and and 16:00 because she’s just too sweet to leave alone for that long.
You can see she’s had a heck of a trip. She gave birth just days after Erin and I found her. She was missing part of her foot and had been shot. She had emergency surgery to remove her infected uterus just days after giving birth and will be on pain meds the rest of her life. However, she is safe now and her puppies are safe.
It’s taken me this long to work up the courage to look and see what became of Betty (now Brandy) because I feared for the worst. She was in such bad shape I worried she would be too much of a burden on the limited budget of a county shelter. But the amazing people, hell, the angels at that shelter found her a better situation and she is now looking for a forever home. She is currently at Camp Jean which rescues dogs from rough backgrounds from all over the world.
Jean Gibowski, who runs Camp Jean, is an absolute angel, as you can see in this news clip:
But when Erin and I dropped Betty off at the shelter with no clue what would happen to her, in a state ranked 50th for animal welfare, we feared the worst. We wanted to take her back with us but were in a terrible situation with limited options. But reading about it all now, I can’t imagine we could’ve taken her to a place where he would be better cared for. Tommy Mullen, the director of the shelter, and another angel in my mind, took Betty in and got her the care she needed and deserves. So it’s thanks to those two people for taking such great care of Betty and I can’t help but tear up thinking about how happy I am she’s okay and that there are people like Tommy and Jean in this world.
I have to end this with a PSA because Betty’s story doesn’t yet have a totally happy ending. She still needs a home and while I’m sure at some point in my life I’ll end up with a farm of rescue animals, my two dogs are about as much as I can handle. So if you or someone you know is looking for a calm, gentle, loving snugglebug, or if you know someone in the Lexington or Louisville area, please give her a home.
If you can’t do that, but are still interested in having a pet, please PLEASE, I beg you to not buy a pet from a breeder or a store. That only precipitates the problem and results in sweet girls like Betty wandering windy mountain roads in the middle of the night. There are dogs of all shapes and sizes, energy levels and ages at every shelter across the country and they’re waiting for homes. For every dog someone buys from a breeder, another dies in a shelter waiting for a home. These animals are not for our entertainment. They are living beings who have emotions and desires and feelings and are not meant to be toys bought in stores and bred to satisfy our every desire.
Alright, almost off my pedestal, I’m glad Betty is okay. If you can’t adopt her or another animal, please consider donating or buying something off their amazon wish lists here: to Camp Jean, Estill County Animal Shelter, or your local shelter.