Fulton County News, McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania
No-Kill Animal Rescue Funding Needed
08/04/05
By Lindsay R. Mellott
Staff Writer
Since it first began rescuing the pets and farm animals nobody cared about, the number of neglected animals being looked after at Greener Pastures No-Kill Animal Rescue near Marion, Pa., has skyrocketed. Now, as the animal sanctuary marks its sixth anniversary, Greener Pastures says it has hit “rock bottom†financially and desperately needs money to continue helping mistreated animals live out their lives with love and dignity.
The only no-kill animal rescue in the tri-state area, the number of animals Greener Pastures cares for has risen sharply, especially in recent months after another larger Franklin County shelter reduced the number of animals it would house. The smaller animal rescue, which relies solely on donations to stay open, finds itself now taking in unwanted pets every day, and caring for all these animals, which are never put down, has driven Greener Pastures’ monthly operating budget to nearly $3,000.
Owner-operator Samantha Frey says in a recent Greener Pastures newsletter that the animal rescue is in dire need of money to build enclosures for all its new residents; to pay for spaying and neutering more than a dozen current candidates; to buy food; and to buy hay for the winter now when it is cheaper.
Greener Pastures gained notoriety in January when McConnellsburg resident Jolene Mihalick rescued a young, 18-pound dog that had been thrown from the window of a pickup truck she was following on the east side of Tuscarora Mountain while she drove to work in Chambersburg.
It was a stroke of good fortune for the discarded dog that he wound up at Greener Pastures, where he remains today, completely healed (due in large part to the generosity of area animal lovers who donated to help foot the dog’s more than $1,000 medical bills) and a permanent resident at the no-kill rescue.
Lucky Me, as he was aptly named, has become a goodwill ambassador for Greener Pastures and a celebrity of sorts, too. After the story of his rescue became known, the fortunate dog received many get-well cards and letters. And, according to the recent newsletter, the animal rescue is in negotiations with Harpo Productions to film a segment about Lucky Me for an upcoming “Oprah†show.
Besides the financial demands of tending to the day-to-day needs of its residents, Greener Pastures also needs money to see to the immediate, often urgent medical needs of some of the animals it rescues – animals like Lucky Me
Recently the animal rescue learned about four black and white puppies that were being kept in a deep pit not far from the Fulton County line. Rescuers found the puppies living in an unventilated 10-foot pit with stagnant water, feces, maggots and animal carcasses. The puppies were saved, but not before their mother, who was with them in the pit, died.
Undernourished and infested with worms, the pups were also found to suffer from a hereditary eye condition that has caused their eyelids to roll under, making their eyelashes grow around the inside of the eye socket. Although the operation to correct this condition is simple, it is costly, about $200 for each eye.
Frey says donations toward the $1600 it will cost to correct the eye condition are urgently needed if the puppies’ eyes are to be saved.
Greener Pastures is located on Frey’s 7-acre farm and is currently home to 52 cats, 20 dogs, 10 horses and donkeys, pigs, and dozens of goats, sheep, rabbits, ducks, chickens and geese. In addition to her 7 acres, a neighbor loans a 30-acre field to pasture Greener Pastures’ rescued horses.
Although Frey has three volunteers who help her when they can, she does most of the work herself, caring for all the animals and grounds daily.
Greener Pastures exists, according to Frey, because of the support and generosity of animal lovers in the tri-state area. Donations, no matter how large or small, are needed to help her continue this important work.
More information about Greener Pastures can be found online at greenerpasturesanimalrescue.bravehost.com or by contacting Frey at 717-375-2980. Donations may be mailed to Greener Pastures No-Kill Animal Rescue Inc., PO Box 368, Marion, PA 17235.
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