Woman surrenders 75 dogs to South Mississippi Humane Society--and I get to help out!

Our ears perked up at the local WLOX news yesterday evening—a woman had voluntarily surrendered 75 dogs to the South Mississippi Humane Society (http://hssm.org/). She had been a groomer/breeder of small dogs like pugs, maltese, Boston terriers, dachshunds and such and after the death of her husband she kept acquiring more and more. Her hope seemed to be to fill the void, but things got out of hand. She became what is often termed a “hoarder.”

Family members convinced her it would be best for the dogs and puppies to be surrendered for adoptions, and by Monday afternoon, all had arrived at the shelter here in Gulfport.

Click here to see a video of the newscast.WLOX news segment

Some hoarding situations are tragic for the animals—living in horrible conditions with illnesses, injuries and lack of basic care.  But in this case, the woman loved each dog.  She knew them all by name and veterinarians certified their health over the weekend.

The news segment called for volunteers to help bathe, groom and assess the dogs and get them ready for adoption.

I showed up at 10 this morning, ready for anything!

As I drove into the parking lot, I could see volunteers lined up waiting for the doors to open—but I heard a squeal and looked to the side and saw a man with a pot-bellied pig standing by the “surrender” door. “Are you giving her up?” I asked. “Have to,” he said and kneeled to pet her.

Inside, the volunteer coordinator was racing to accommodate all those who wanted to help. Those with grooming experience were sent to the bathing rooms. Those with handling experience were sent to the indoor and outdoor exercise areas to “love on ‘em”—snuggle and pet them and let them know all will be well. Others dove into the reception area—crates as far as the eye could see—to help with feeding and cratecleaning, a constant process with 75 dogs!

A small section of the many crates!



Watching and waiting...where am I?


















I was assigned with two others to begin the photography/documentation process.  Once the dogs had baths and basic grooming, they would be ready for the photo shoot. With so many dogs, it’s vital to make sure each one is identified, tracked and properly photographed—appealing shots can increase the chances of adoption, the goal for all the dogs.



Volunteers helped from beginning to to end.



We set up a background and welcomed rescue dog # 1, Bennie, a young Boston Terrier. She was very sweet and calm, but also scared. Once she acclimates, I am sure she’ll make a devoted addition to a family.

Volunteers try to soothe Bennie so she can show herself off!



 SMHS staff were wonderful...well organized and efficient, grateful for all help and most of all, completely focused on doing the very best for these dogs.  All, of course, in addition to taking in the black pot-bellied pig and a number of other less high-profile animals.  They are great bunch and I'll be right back there tomorrow morning at 10!

WLOX ran a follow-up story this evening--one of the dogs, a very sweet paraplegic pug named Sophie, captured the hearts of several viewers.  I got to see her in the exercise yard and she is full of spunk--in spite of needing a doggie wheelchair. See the news segment here!

Sophie is a special needs pup--her back legs don't function.