Solve Keyshawn Davis Sacramento
Seven months ago, Joseph Rival drove from Oregon to California with his mother, who had recently suffered a stroke. Because her mother wanted to see the Pacific Ocean at a stop along the west coast. In a series of unfortunate events, their car breaks down at a truck stop, and soon after, they have exhausted all their expenses and become homeless.
Desperate for help, Rival said he started calling social services everywhere he could. At one point, they were dropped off at the emergency room and eventually taken to a homeless shelter in Sacramento. Rival said neither he nor his mother had ever seen the shelter before. His rival dog, Duggs (short for Dagger), was also not kept with him.
Duggs is a 2-year-old mix of pit bull, labrador, and husky who lives with his rival at the SafeStay homeless community shelter on Florin Road.
Rival had spent all his expenses and was unable to properly care for Daggs until he arrived at a safe stay shelter. The shelter offers a mobile veterinary clinic called the PAWS Clinic, which travels to various homeless areas and provides free pets. Care.
“I thought [I] I was willing to pay something to be in this situation,” the rival said. “I didn't have any way to pay for anything at the time. I'm really lucky that they were able to take proper care of him.”
In 2022, more than 9,000 people will experience unsheltered homelessness in Sacramento. Many unsheltered people have their own pets and share their experiences of unsheltered homelessness.
Bradshaw Animal Shelter started the PAWS mobile clinic about seven months ago, said Dr. Cynthia Metcalf, a veterinarian who has been involved since its inception. Metcalf said the clinic is on-site to provide orphaned pets with basic needs such as spay/neuter surgeries, health exams and health care.
“We go out to local encampments, safe shelters like this one, and other homeless shelters and basically provide services to keep residents' pets healthy,” Metcalfe said. Told. “We offer vaccinations and microchips, and we also offer parasite prevention, because a lot of the problems we see are other problems like fleas or allergies or tick-borne diseases. We also provide medical services for sick pets.”
Metcalfe said if there's something the clinic can't provide, he will refer patients to partner hospitals or other organizations that provide specialized services.
Rival said the PAWS Mobile Clinic provided Daggs with antibiotics after he was bitten several times under the neck by a rat. He said Duggs has been neutered and receives regular check-ups through the PAWS clinic.
Metcalfe said mobile clinics are important because they can travel to different encampments and help people in uncontained pet habitats. “It’s really important to be able to be involved in the community where people are,” she said. “Transportation is a huge barrier to accessing care in the unhoused community. And if we can actually go where they are, we can help remove that barrier.”
The mobile clinic also receives donations for the clinic, and Metcalfe said she is grateful for all the support from the community.
“We have donations and things like durable leashes and large dog harnesses available,” she said. “We need them. People have been sending us cash donations for the PAWS program, and that's really helped us provide some of the additional services that we can provide. . Therefore, we are very grateful for such community support.”
Animal Network Tourism Alliance is a local rescue group on Facebook that helps rescue animals. Invisible Paws Rescue finds needed resources for homeless animals in camps. Claudia Cardorza, Vice President of Invisible Paws and Coordinator of Resources for the Animal Network Tourism Alliance He said he felt they needed to be more organized to better support them. They started by distributing dog food locally.
“We will continue to work with the community and its needs,” Cardoza said. “That means vaccination clinics, spay/neuter appointments, transportation, things like that. [are] These animals are lacking in order to live a healthy life. ”
Cardoza started the Animal Network Welfare Alliance several years ago and said everyone on the team works together to find solutions to the needs of animals. The rescue group has about 45 volunteers, including those who support Invincible Paws.
“This is not a one-man show,” Cardoza said. “Essentially, we're a team of animal lovers trying to figure out what each animal needs. Maybe one of us has transportation and one of us can foster.” Maybe one of us could step in and help with the rescue… One of us might have a veterinarian.”
In late December, the group's Facebook page received a report about a stray dog named Jake who was left alone without an owner. Jake and his humans lived in a park near where Cardoza lives.
Cardoza said she knows Jake and his humans because Invisible Paws Rescue has provided them with blankets, sweaters, dog food, bowls and leashes in the past. Cardoza said humans were letting Jake roam around for exercise, so his wanderings were considered normal. However, this time I felt that things were wrong.
“We also started receiving notifications from trappers,” Cardoza said. “Then we heard that from a trapper, not just the public, and we knew it wasn't normal. That's how we got involved.”
Jake is eventually captured by a trapper, and his owner's corpse is discovered. More than 200 people died without housing in Sacramento in 2022, according to a death report from the Sacramento Coalition to End Homelessness. Cardoza said police removed the body but left. A tent with all my belongings and Jake in the back.
“I was a little upset about that,” Cardoza said. “I thought, you come up here, there's a dead body, and the dog has an owner, and you can take the dog's safety blanket off, but don't take the dog. ” Why would you leave your dog behind? I don't know why Jake was left behind, but that shouldn't have happened. ”
One of Cardoza's coordination efforts saved the life of a dog at the shelter who was scheduled for euthanasia due to a fractured femoral head. Cardoza filed the petition an hour before the date.
With this type of fracture, she says, it's often difficult to find enough pledges for treatment and rescue to actually be interested. She said three rescuers came 40 minutes after her plea and asked how they could help her.
“He's officially rescued,” she said. “That's how intense it is. Down to the wire. But we never give up. We have to be strong mentally, physically and emotionally. And that's something you can't teach. Have it. You either have it or you don't.”
Cardoza said it takes nerves of steel to do this job as you deal with a lot of stress, pressure and personalities, but you have to keep trying. The dog was able to survive, and Cardoza had already found a medical foster home.
“His life was saved because we didn't give up and fought until the end,” Cardoza said. “This baby will make a full recovery and have a long life ahead of him, because people like us and rescues will never give up on any life possible.”
This story is part of solve sacramento Journalism cooperation. Sacramento Resolve is supported by funding from the James Irvine Foundation and the James B. McClatchy Foundation. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19.
