No-Kill Shelter Rescues First “Freedom Dog”
Death row. For abandoned, abused, or injured animals, it is the unfortunate phrase used to describe their fate in shelters. But a woman in New Mexico is giving pets from around the country a second chance, with a no-kill adoption center.
Animal Village New Mexico, located at 7246 Highway 54-70 in Alamogordo, is best described as a sanctuary.
The center?s newest member, a Pitbull named Molly, was flown into Alamogordo Tuesday, rescued from Arkansas.
“My understanding is she was being starved in the backyard,? Sunny Aris, Animal Village New Mexico Director, said. ?You can see she is still not full weight, she’s only 38 pounds now and she had every bone in her body showing.”
Molly wagged her tail and received lots of kisses as she took her first steps off the single-engine plane and on her road to recovery at her new home at Animal Village.
“It’s a great feeling,? Dan Telfair, a Grace Flight pilot who transported Molly, said. ?You know, helping a kid go to cancer camp, helping a dog to a new life – same thing.”
Aris says the black-furred pup is the center?s first ?Freedom Dog,? or in other words, a canine rescued from a severe animal cruelty case.
With 9-acres of land, Molly now has a safe place to play, along with multiple litters of other injured pups already filling up the just-opened, 2,600 square foot building.
In a litter of five puppies dropped off last night, Aris embraced one with a dangling leg. ?His pelvis back here is broken and he walks crooked,? Aris said. ?So we?re hoping we can get some donations to fix Chico.?
Currently, the facility operates entirely on fundraising. Dogs in poor conditions like Chico have a chance at Animal Village, but would likely not survive down the road at the county shelter.
“When I first started working with the county they told me we would be dealing with 20 animals per month,? Dr. Marvin Hays, of Button Brand Veterinary Clinic, said. ?Right now we’re averaging closer to 60 to 70 a month.”
At Button Brand Veterinary Clinic, just a few miles down the road from Animal Village, the euthanasia rate is nearly 50%. Seven dogs were killed Tuesday morning alone, Hays said. After a puppy is dropped off at the Clinic, the county gives them 3 days to be adopted or claimed before they are euthanized because of overpopulation ? a problem stemming from lack of education and owners not spaying and neutering their pets, Hays said.
The helpless faces behind cold metal cages are what Animal Village will help reduce, Aris said.
?There is redemption and we want to see a no-kill nation in the United States,? Aris said. ?It’s not the 1800s?you don’t take a dog out and shoot him because you don’t want him, you don’t dump him at the pound?if you make a commitment, then you keep your commitment because these are not disposable hearts, they are treasures and they need to be treated that way.”
Molly is just the first of many given a second chance at life, Aris said.
“It’s a dream come true,? Aris said. ?She’s going to have a good, safe committed home or she’s going to stay with us until she does.”
Molly may eventually be trained as a therapy or guide dog, which is a possibility for many of the pets at Animal Village New Mexico if they are not adopted, Aris said.
