“There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are
born and the day we discover why.” ~ William Barclay
It all happened when I was just 12 years old. I had loved animals since I was in diapers. I had a million drawings of dogs on the refrigerator and had already decided I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I believed that all animals should be loved and thought that every dog and puppy lived happily in a comfortable home. I had no idea how little I knew.
Everyday, when I came home from school I would browse petfinder.org, a database for animal shelters across the US where pictures of pets for adoption are posted. Each day I would print out new pictures of dogs needing homes, in hope that I could some day convince my mom to let me add a third dog to our family.
On one particular day I came across a site for an animal shelter in Philippi, WV. The site posted that all dogs were only given 5 days to find homes and when their five days were up, the dogs would all be euthanized (put to sleep) using a gas chamber. Now at the age of 12 I had never been exposed to something like this before. I stared at the computer screen in shock. I was looking at pictures of beautiful dogs and puppies, but for some reason underneath each picture read “URGENT" in dark red print “due to be euthanized on Wednesday". For a second I pondered what this could mean, then I remembered what the word "euthanized" meant from a spelling unit in 5th grade. These adorable dogs were going to die.
That is when I discovered that I had to do something about it. I knew that I could not just sit back and let this happen. I knew that if I could just get those dogs to my house I could find them homes. Then an idea popped into my head. What if I could save them, and then find homes for them myself. I has absolutely no idea what I was doing, But I knew that these dogs were in danger and that nothing could stop me from helping them. I immediately printed out the shelter information and ran to show my parents. I was in tears as I told my parents what the fate was of these helpless shelter dogs, and told them that I wasn’t going to sit back and let this happen. I was determined to do whatever it would take to save the lives of these precious canines. My parents told me that they supposed that it would be ok if a couple of dogs temporarily stayed with us until a new home was found. I was thrilled, but I knew that time was running out and I needed to get to these dogs fast before anything horrible would happen.
It was 2002. Fall was fast approaching, but summer was still in the air. It was September 14th. My father, sister, best friend, and I were all on our way to Philippi, WV. The 2 1/2 hour drive seemed more like 5. I sat impatiently, not knowing what to expect. Little did I know that what was about to happen next would change my life forever.
As we pulled up a dirt road that led to the shelter I could already hear the sounds of frightened dogs barking. We were immediately greeted by a woman named Joy who was a shelter worker. She took us into the shelter and explained that they have close to no help at all and explained to me that most dogs that enter the shelter do not make it out the front door alive. My excitement quickly turned to sadness and my heart began to race as I walked down the aisle of dogs and puppies, all barking and pushing up against the cage, desperate to get some attention. All of the dogs seemed to be so nice and friendly and definitely did not deserve to die. My 12 year old mind did not understand why so many of these dogs would be killed, There were only 7 total kennels, all of which were filled with anywhere from 2 to 6 dogs. My dad walked up to me and told me I had to choose now who I wanted to take. That is when reality hit me. The dogs that I did not take would be killed. I began by picking a brindle colored Border collie mix, a young female husky/lab mix, and a golden retriever mix puppy. As I picked the golden retriever mix pup up I realized that there was a small scrawny terrier mix in the cage with him. Joy explained to me that he had been at the shelter for more than a week, without anybody interested in him. I watched as he sat and shivered in the back of his cage. I immediately opened the cage and hooked his collar to the leash. There was no way I could leave this dog behind. I walked him out to the car and he happily jumped in. His stub of a tail began wagging so fast… he knew that he had been saved. Next, I went inside and saw a kennel filled with 6 mixed breed puppies, all with bloated stomachs and unknown heritage. All of which were jumping up and down with excitement, completely oblivious to the horrible situation they were in. I carefully opened the kennel door and all the puppies tried to jump out. Quickly, I grabbed two puppies and handed my dad two and loaded them into the back of our mini van. I ran back into the shelter to grab the last two puppies that were anxiously watching and waiting their turn. One was a little tri colored hound mix with long ears and a bloated stomach that had to be full of parasites and worms. The other was an adorable Rottweiler mix puppy who was missing fur on his head and on several spots on his back. I opened the door to let them out when my dad suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. As I turned around he explained to me that we already had too many dogs and could not take anymore. Especially, because these two looked more sickly. As I listened my eyes filled with tears. I ran out of the shelter door and began to cry. Why couldn’t I take them all? While bawling my eyes out, I walked back into the shelter to say goodbye to the rest of the dogs left behind. They all wagged their tails and barked with excitement. I can still remember each one of their faces. That was the last time I saw those dogs, and never did learn their fate. After that, I realized that this is something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
On that day, I felt like I had grown up. I learned that I could do anything I put my mind to, no matter how old or small you are. When I first started telling people that I wanted to do animal rescue, I had many people doubt me and tell me it was an impossible task for someone my age. Several times, I tried calling shelters offering help, but was turned down because I sounded young. Over the years of doing dog rescue I have dealt with many hardships. I believe that every obstacle I have dealt with has only made me stronger and has made me the person I am today. I have many times thought that running an animal rescue was to much for me to handle and have almost stopped. I have learned that when you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place. For me, my dog rescue is what keeps me going. I am constantly informed of new dogs in need of help that without me would die.
Now, 4 years later I have saved more than 100 dogs, have been on a national syndicated radio station, have been in several newspapers, including our local Post Gazette, honored by the HSUS (humane society of the united states), and contacted by representatives from the Ellen Show and Cosmo girl. Every animal that comes into Augies Doggies rescue is now completely vet checked and spayed or neutered before being placed into their new home. We also are working on getting our 501c3. WQED, a station that broadcasts throughout PA and OH did a special on Augies Doggies rescue the end of last February. There is still much excitement ahead for Augies Doggies. All of this had began with my dream of helping those who cannot help themselves and now has evolved into a non profit organization. I believe that anyone can make a difference. Nothing comes easy, but If you give it your all, you can accomplish great things.
~Augusta age 16
Founder of Augies Doggies rescue
