The Voice

It must have been frightening for the three-month-old stray. All alone and starving, with cars whipping by and the constant pain of a too-tight collar gripping her neck, the world was a scary and friendless place.

Things didn’t seem to be getting any better for the little husky mix when the big white truck pulled up to take her to the shelter. For Ki though, every dog’s nightmare was about to become her saving grace.

The shelter staff soon discovered the source of Ki’s anguish. Her collar, many sizes too small, had embedded itself into her flesh. Bone thin and filthy, she was skittish from many days alone, fending for herself.

It took two surgical procedures and the love of good people to bring Ki back to the happy puppy she once was.

This kind of surgical intervention gets costly and with a limited budget, local shelters like Seminole County Animal Services struggle to provide the care some animals need before they can be considered adoptable.

Organizations like the nonprofit group TEARS (Together Every Animal Receives Support) step in to fill that gap.

“We do the best we can but we can’t do expensive surgeries on every animal that comes in here, so its really nice, when we get an animal that’s special to get that help for them,” said Diane Gagliano, program coordinator for Seminole County Animal Services.

While she will always bear the scars of her ordeal, 6 months later Ki is an energetic tail-thumper who is looking for somebody to love. The lucky pup is currently waiting in a foster home where she is learning to be part of a family and what housetraining is all about.

These success stories don’t happen everyday, but they come along often enough to remind Gagliano why she loves her job.

After six years with SCAS, Gagliano has seen a lot of animals come and go.

She knows many of their stories by heart. She can tell potential adopters how long the dog or cat has been there, what their personality is like and what sort of home would suit them before they’ve even had a chance to look them over.

She also knows the stigma that a county shelter carries.

“People say things like ‘Oh, You’re the place that euthanizes the animals.’ or ‘I could never go there, it’s too depressing.’” Gagliano said. “It’s always surprising to me, because this is the place you should be going to because these are the animals that don’t have a safety net. We need people to adopt from us or we run out of space.”

With an average of 1000 animals arriving each month that’s not hard to do.

Of those, about half get adopted, transferred to other rescue groups or reclaimed by owners.

The others, due to poor health, advanced age or aggression will never leave the shelter for happy homes. Without enough space, time or money to rehabilitate them, they will be euthanized.

County run facilities do not turn away any animals regardless of their adoptability. They must take every case that comes to their door, putting them in the untenable position of choosing which animals to help and which cannot be saved.

Expensive surgeries and treatments were out of the question until a group of shelter volunteers founded TEARS.

“If we have an animal that needs something that we are not budgeted for, that’s when we go to TEARS … and they will help us by raising the money themselves,” Gagliano said.

Acting as friends of the shelter, they work with the community, raising funds and awareness for the animals. So far, Gagliano estimates, they’ve helped over 300 animals.

TEARS is now set to begin one of their most ambitious projects to date.

When the SCAS kennels were designed, they included a ventilation system, but due to budgetary constraints, it was never installed. This year TEARS hopes to raise the estimated $32,000 it will take to make the project a reality.

This upgrade will keep the kennels cool in the summer and move fresh air throughout the building to help prevent disease and improve the overall indoor air quality.

“So far we’ve raised almost half the money we need,” said Kris Buchanan, TEARS president.

With upcoming events like Sit, Stay, Sip & Save a Life, a wine and food tasting event, they hope to rapidly close the gap.

For TEARS, meeting their goals means saving more lives and bringing more families joy by helping them find new additions.

“Anything they do is all centered around talking about Animal Services, to try to get people down here,” Gagliano said. “We have so many people who really step up to bat for these animals.”