I began volunteering with animals when I was fourteen, cleaning cages and filling food bowls at a local shelter in Albuquerque as part of a school project. For most of my teens and college years volunteering with animals was a fun side project to fulfill service hours and beef up college applications. My mother holds a true passion for animals, and she instilled that in me. Through her, I came to work with Fishhawk TNR, an animal rescue located in Hillsborough County, Florida, and began to understand the value of not just providing for animals but caring for them.
Fishhawk TNR is representative of rescues across the country striving to save animal lives through population control and animal advocacy. Feral, abandoned, or at-risk animals, primarily cats and dogs, are fixed, vaccinated, treated for parasites, and given safe homes that suit their personalities. This long process means animals can spend weeks or months in a single volunteer’s home while they grow, heal from injuries, receive behavior training, and socialize with humans and other animals. In the years since my mother introduced me to Fishhawk TNR nearly 100 animals have come through our house, and some never left.
On June 26, 2018, a pregnant dachshund waddled into my life. Maggie was estimated at three years old, and on her fourth litter of puppies. The breeder who owned her was only allowed one dog in the apartment, Maggie’s mate, so Maggie lived her life exclusively inside the breeder’s one-bedroom apartment. She ate mostly human food scraps and slept huddled in any small hiding space she could find.
For reasons unknown, Maggie’s breeder chose to sell the pair, putting an add out on Facebook requesting four hundred dollars apiece. In the end, she surrendered them over to Fishhawk TNR, for thirty dollars. Maggie came to us in her last trimester of pregnancy, overweight, shy, with rotting teeth, and a preference for using my mother’s closet as a bathroom. While her mate was friendly and adapted easily to his foster home, Maggie initially hid from her foster family, growling and barking if the volunteer’s husband or children came too close. After a week, the decision was made to move Maggie to my mother’s home, where there would be no small children or other dogs to bother her.
The moment Maggie entered our front door she sat back on her hind legs, front paws in the air displaying her swollen belly, declaring she was home. Maggie became my mother’s shadow, always by her side and fiercely protective of her. As her mate and three pups moved on to their forever homes over the next several months, she stayed in her home as we worked to potty train her, get her adjusted to eating proper dog food, teach her to walk on a leash, and curb her aggression.
Dachshunds are notoriously stubborn, and Maggie was no exception. Walks usually ended with her lying on the ground, forcing her human to carry her home. For weeks she would only eat dog food if I sat on the floor and fed it to her with a spoon. Most consistent in Maggie’s temperament was her loyalty to my mother. Come too close to her, Maggie would begin to bark and jump, though over time she switched from growling to licking obsessively at the perceived threat. When my mother isn’t home, Maggie will retreat to her bed, a small polka dot square stuffed with fluff.
This comfort item, a simple bed, provided a turning point for Maggie. This was the first spot in our home, and in her life, that was all hers. It sits in a crate, in a corner of my parents’ bedroom, and when Mom isn’t home that is where you’ll find Maggie. She curls in her bed during storms, parties, and any other stressful event as well.
Since we took in Maggie, ultimately adopting her in October of 2018, she has made leaps and bounds from the shy and frightened dog she once was. Maggie now goes for long walks around our neighborhood, plays with other dogs we foster, even swims at the dog beach. One thing has not changed though, her bed is still her safest space.
Having a space that is all their own, a spot they know will not be disturbed and they are safe, is as important to an animal as it is to a human. According to dogtime.com, a dog with its own bed will be calmer at home, less anxious during travel, and has a lower chance of developing arthritis and calluses. Abandoned puppies and kittens are especially in need, as their body temperature can’t regulate itself and a bed provides the warmth they would naturally receive from their parents and littermates.
The trick is, a pet’s bed should be all its own, which can be a barrier for rescues like Fishhawk TNR. Rescues operate on volunteer labor and donations, meaning funds are usually spent first on absolute essentials such as food and vet bills. Items like pet beds are generally not in the budget. This leaves rescues to improvise with folded blankets or towels, which is not as effective, or rely on material donations. When a dog gets adopted, it’s not uncommon for their bed and favorite toy to leave with them, to help them adjust to their new home.
The animals that pass through Fishhawk TNR and other rescues like it are on a journey with their fosters, each one stealing a piece of our hearts as they go. A small donation like a pet bed can save a life and stay with them forever. Through Hope For Tampa you can now donate supplies and labor to make pet beds for animals in need, like Maggie. Go to https://www.hopengriffin.com/ for more information.
*A NOTE FROM HOPE GRIFFIN*
We’ve received a number of fabric donations that were not right for mask making. That fabric is being redirected to making pet beds for animal rescue groups who work with fosters, like ARK of Tampa and Fishhawk TNR.