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Rolling Thunder

© Joy Butler

Pet shelters are home to many animals who have nowhere else to go. Our shelter was in disrepair and crowded and we badly needed a better place for our dogs and cats. But money was scarce. Adoption fees covered daily needs but were never enough to pay for a new and bigger building. We had to pay for rent, utilities, pet food, medications, shots, and spay or neuter operations to keep animals from having more homeless babies. But we didn't give up. We held yard sales, raffles, pet fashion shows, and fun festivals. To help out even more, some shelter workers, called volunteers, worked without pay, and one very nice person donated land to build on. It took us ten years to raise enough money to build the new shelter, but we finally did it. Last month, we happily moved out of the old one and into the new one.

The October morning dawned bright and clear. Perfect weather for the move! Many people worked together loading around 80 dogs and cats into pickups and vans. I took two of the seats out of my van so we could fit more crates of animals inside. We had to have a very big crate for a mixed breed German Shepherd named Thunder. There was also a smaller crate in the front seat for two little scruffy puppies named Ann and Andy. We pulled out of the driveway and were, at last, rolling toward our new shelter! I felt a little sad at leaving the old building where we'd been for so long but, at the same time, I felt happy that the animals would now have a much better place to live.

The dogs had no way to know where they were going. Some of them were nervous and panting, so I sang to calm them. A little brown and white terrier named Josie sang with me! At the new place, Thunder and the other dogs rolled in the grass and chased each other in their new big yard. The cats climbed on their new toys and sunned in their outside wire room.

Later that evening, when all the dogs and cats were fed and settled inside for the night, we chatted and celebrated with refreshments. We were very tired, but it was a very good kind of tired.