Animal Lives

Caring for a pet isn’t as easy as one would think, but three women I know have made it their life’s work to learn about, help and take care of the animals people love: Debbie Klein, Heather Sloan, and Peggy Kelly.

CRITTER SITTER: Debbie Klein runs Critter Sitter, which is an organization for the care and welfare of pets. She watches, walks, feeds and takes care of pets. Critter Sitter offers to water plants, and bring in the mail as well. The cost differs based on services, location and frequency. She works from her home in Lake Linganore where she runs the Critter Sitter along with a team of men and women who are part time or full time. She does not take on teens; though I have often helped anyway. She almost always has a full staff and a fuller schedule. Critter Sitter watches animals from fish to dogs and cats and more. We always have very satisfied customers when they return home being away.

FAMILY PACK RESCUE: Another organization is Family Pack Rescue. Its goal is to save those who would otherwise be euthanized. This organization drives to kill shelters and saves all the animals it can fit in the vehicles and get permits for. Then the animals are sent to foster homes and trained, washed up, fed since many are emaciated, then taken to the vet and made to be the best they can be.

Heather Sloan started up FPR (Family Pack Rescue) in March 2007 and has already saved more then 200 dogs and some cats. She has not saved as many cats due to the fact Ms. Heather is allergic. It also keeps the number of animals I kidnap from her to care for to a minimum.

Friends or people with a deep love of animals help to drive or foster while Heather saves dogs and some cats, takes care of them then sets up adoption days at Superpetz. She keeps as many animals as she can in her home in Walkersville where she sets up rescues and plans out her options for getting animals and where she will put them once saved. The bills pile up fast but with donations and support with others she’s able to keep it under control plus the money she receives from the adoptions goes to getting supplies and getting more animals as well.
Though there are hard aspects as well. One of the hardest things with dealing with the animals is saving the animals and seeing their surroundings and how they live, then taking them all broken and without a spirit is heart-breaking. But seeing the faces of those she can’t save, the ones she leaves behind that is the most difficult thing in the world. And when I get them home it’s hard to keep control and try to care for them. But when the animals must go to the vet and there’s bad news or they must be put to sleep that is such a horrible time for everyone. Heather loves help as I know by the fact I hardly ever had a free weekend after helping her. But she still needs more if she is to succeed. She takes everything from food to bowls to supplies and help. And of course donation are always welcome.

FERAL CAT RESCUE: This work includes going out and collecting feral cats from barns, allies, fields and more and gets them neutered/spayed, stitched up and worked on if hurt and if need be, relocated. Some people don’t mind the cats so they are just brought back, others are put into shelters, foster care, or homes. Peggy Kelly is the brains and muscle behind the Feral Cat Rescue. She started the rescue a little over four years ago and has saved over 900 cats in that time.

“The rescue record at one location would be 50 cats that captured to be spayed or neutered,” she told me once when I was working with her.

When cats are not able to go back to their location because the owners don’t want them or it’s not safe, Kelly brings them home with her or gets them a home.

“I have four cats that I brought home that are now part of my animal family. I have others that are here until I find the perfect home. I have realized that if I keep too many, then I cannot help others.” She admitted.

All three of these women work with animals as their professions and dedicate a lot of time to doing so. Over all over 900 cats, and 200 dogs are saved a year and even more are taken care of by these three women. I know how seriously these women take their jobs because I have worked with each separately and in groups and I’ve seen the passion that they hold when it comes to these poor animals. Two of those cats Mrs. Peggy had at her home I actually adopted so that there would be more room for others and many of those dogs I sat up with for hours caring for and more then I can count sits I have assisted on so I know the hardships of the job but also the rewards.