Hi, I’m Abby!
Our longtime readers are well aware of Zoey, whose first few months of life are the whole reason behind Protected Paws and ZoeyStory. For those newer to our blog and story, please read back through the archives to learn more about this wonderful little dog. However, this post is going to focus on Zoey’s older sister, Adopted Abby.
Abby was adopted in August, 2006 from the Sebastian County Humane Society (SCHS) in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Every year, we always do something special for Abby’s Adoption Day, to celebrate her arrival into our family and to remember where she came from.
Yum!
This year, we decided to do something that was totally unrelated to ZoeyStory and Protected Paws and focused entirely on Abby’s story. This idea eventually culminated in the First Annual Adopted Abby Gives Back in August!
As part of our general work about puppy mills, we speak with staff members at the SCHS, which takes in many puppy mill survivors (remember that Arkansas is one of the largest puppy mill states). In a recent conversation with the director of the SCHS, she indicated that the organization’s number one need was food, since it currently goes through approximately 200 pounds of dog food and 75 pounds of cat food per day. SCHS relies exclusively on private donations for its needs, so I immediately sensed that this might be a place where we could make a positive difference.
Just some of the food donated
I reached out for local support and facilitation from a fabulous store in the Fort Smith area – Happy Tails. Happy Tails in general and dog trainer and friend Kris Minkle in particular were hugely important when I first adopted Abby. They calmed my anxiety as a new dog mom and provided guidance in how to take care of an inside dog (I grew up with a collie), including tips on appropriate food. Happy Tails was also the place where Abby got her first bath and haircut.
Happy Tails is an absolute gem of a store with amazing accessories, groomers, and it only carries healthy dog food, treats and chews. These business owners and employees truly care about animals and prove it each and every day!
Look how teenie tiny I am after getting all that fur off!
When I told the folks at Happy Tails of my idea for Adopted Abby Gives Back they were quick to provide help in picking out the correct food to buy in bulk and for SCHS’ diverse pet population and even offered me the food at wholesale PLUS a discount since it would be going to an organization which the store supports wholeheartedly.
Our initial goal was to raise enough money to buy one ton of dog food. However, the kindness of not only friends and family but complete strangers, many of whom are friends of ZoeyStory on Facebook, was so enormous that we upped the ante and are happy to report that Adopted Abby and all of her supporters enabled us to raise enough money to buy 4500 pounds of dog and cat food for the SCHS!
Yummy food!
The food was delivered immediately and helped offset the shelter’s needs for more than two weeks. We cannot thank everyone who donated enough for this overwhelming response. We truly appreciate everyone’s support; know that your efforts made a huge difference in the lives of many animals that are in need.
This little lady dressed up for dinner!