SANDY'S TALES |
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Buddy lived a happy life in his little rural neighborhood in northwestern Mississippi. Then on the afternoon of April 22, 2021, a neighbor saw him stumbling along the road with an electrical cord tied around his neck and his face badly burned. Because of the severity of his injuries, Buddy was relinquished into the arms of the Tunica Humane Society for medical care. Volunteers for the humane society first brought him to local veterinarians where he was stabilized and provided initial treatment prior to transferring to the Animal Health Center at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. There, his burns were healed. After months of intense treatment, he happily went to his forever home with Dr. Betsy Swanson, the veterinary surgeon who led his medical care team at Mississippi State. It turned out that Buddy had been intentionally set on fire by a juvenile. At the time, the State of Mississippi did not allow children under the age of 13 to be charged with a crime. Buddy's story was already in the Memphis news, but this revelation caused it to go viral. Thousands of people followed every step in his healing progress. A petition was started to change the law in Mississippi. After a lot of hard work by a dedicated team of state legislators led by Senator Angela Hill, Buddy's Law was signed into law on May 19, 2022. The law requires that both juveniles and adults who are charged with animal cruelty and torture must undergo psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Turning pain into triumph. Buddy's journey from horror to victory captured the hearts of people from all over the world. He became the face for the voiceless, standing up against and bringing awareness to the issue of animal cruelty. Thanks to all of his supporters, something good came out of something so bad. Buddy now spends his days in love and safety. He loves meeting new and old friends. You may see him around town and as a guest-of-honor at events. He has his own FB page....BUDDY THE MIRACLE LAB. Please stop by and say hi on his page.
April 28, 2022 For the Love of Buddy It's been one year since Buddy was set on fire by a child in Tate County, Ms. After spending 10 months in the hospital at MSU, he is now thriving in a foster home with his very special doctor, Betsy Swanson. Dr. Swanson and I talk frequently about Buddy and how he is doing in her home. His face is now completely healed. He no longer has to wear an e-collar and he is loving that! His days are now spent like any normal dog. Playing fetch, taking long walks, being spoiled for the awesome dog he is! On Tuesday, Dr. Swanson took Buddy for a walk around the beautiful campus at Mississippi State. He loved being out and around so many people. She said he was like a kid in a candy shop. He had to stop and say Hi to every single person that crossed their path. A large group of Buddy's caregivers at MSU gathered on Tuesday for a photo shoot with their Star Patient. Buddy's miraculous recovery from his near fatal injuries is truly a Miracle and all of his caregivers have much to be proud of. Buddy will always be #BuddyStrong #ForeverLoved Sandy
 
Today Marked the End of an Era at the Tunica Humane Society If you have followed our shelter for years, then you will understand how deeply saddened we are tonight over the loss of our precious Rusty. Rusty and his beautiful sidekick, Fluffy Dog. were the Face of the Tunica Humane Society for many years. They came to our shelter within days of each other back in 2014. Neither of them cared for other dogs but they took to each other instantly. They were the perfect Odd Couple. Rusty was the ultimate tough guy and Fluffy was drop dead gorgeous. Together, they filled our days with laughter. "Fluffy Dog Friday" became a standard on our Facebook page. Everyone tuned in on Fridays to see what these two were up too. They never disappointed. When Fluffy passed away suddenly 3 years ago, we heard from people all around the world. They were so concerned about Rusty and how he would survive without his beautiful friend. The Tunica Humane Society was Rusty's home for 11 years. We were his family. He protected all of us and our playground with a fierceness that was undeniable. Until the last few days, when his "roar" became a whimper. Rusty fought the good fight and finished the race. All I could think about today was Fluffy Dog, waiting for her little buddy at the Rainbow Bridge. What a joyful reunion that was. Heaven has a new gatekeeper tonight and his name is Rusty He takes his job real serious.
The Life and Times of Rusty Our days will never be the same at the Tunica Humane Society.
Warm as an Oven I got a call early this morning from a guy that owns some duck hunting land in Tunica County. While Blake was in Tunica yesterday, he came across a dog in horrific shape on his land. He couldn't take the dog back to Memphis with him because his 3 hunting dogs were along and there wasn't enough room in his truck. When he couldn't reach us by phone yesterday, he did the next best thing. He gathered some materials and constructed a makeshift shelter for the dog to get her out of the cold. The temperature was dropping to 19 degrees last night and he was afraid the dog wouldn't survive because of her dire condition. He called first thing this morning to alert us about the dog. He was so concerned; I immediately drove out to check on her. Long story short, I finally found her hidden away in pile of hay, I don't think she moved a muscle all night. Blake built her one heck of a shelter, and it was warm as an oven inside. I named her Biscuit The world needs more people like Blake
Dr. Lisa saw Biscuit immediately after we rescued her. One of the worse cases of mange we have seen in a while. Cracked and bleeding skin, swollen paws, infected eyes and ears. This poor dog feels absolutely miserable but thankfully, she is getting the care she needs to feel better really quick. Say a little prayer for Biscuit. She's got a long way to go but tonight she is out of the cold and resting comfortably for the first time in a long time. This clearly didn't happen overnight.
The Life and Times of Buster Brown Sadly, we lost our precious Buster yesterday. He fought a good fight. He lived so much longer than we ever thought he would. Buster came to our shelter 6 years ago. Already, an old dog. A dog that lived such a sheltered life, he was never even allowed to go outdoors. Rescued from an elderly couple that couldn't even care for themselves and yet, they had dozens of starving dogs on their property. Buster won their favor. He was the chosen one. He was bottle fed from the day he was born by the elderly lady. He was never allowed around all the other dogs. Those dogs didn't seem to matter to anyone. Until the day we discovered their miserable existence. We worked tirelessly to get all of the dogs rescued from the property. Starving moms. Dying puppies. It wasn't until the elderly couple was removed from their home and taken to a nursing home, that Buster was discovered inside the house. Along with Buster, there was a young shepherd pup we were told had died months before. She was starving and covered in mange. Gracie was ripped from Melissa's arms by the elderly lady one day while we were there, gathering up as many dogs as we could. The woman took her inside and we never saw her again until the day she was found with Buster. Luther told us the puppy had died. Gracie was adopted by Melissa Allen and Buster Brown came to live with us. Buster never got comfortable with the outside world. His comfort and peace was found, only with us. Oh, how this old dog loved us. And he loved the ladies. Buster had countless furry girlfriends through the years. I can still see him romping and acting like a youngster. Missy and Piper. Maggie Mae. Iris and Shine. Buster charmed them all. He fought a good fight. He lived a happy life at the Tunica Humane Society. Buster will be missed by all of us for the rest of our lives. Our sweet, Southern Gentleman is gone. And my heart is shattered to pieces.
JOEY It was a little over 10 years ago when I found Joey, starving on the streets in Tunica. We never thought Joey would survive. How could he? His stomach was full of rocks. He had been eating rocks on the side of the road, just trying to stay alive. In a neighborhood filled with people, always in their yards, always standing in the streets, this pitiful little starving dog went unnoticed. Completely ignored by everyone that passed him by. His owner had gone to jail and suddenly, Joey's life didn't matter to anyone in the neighborhood. Until a man making a delivery saw him and sent a picture to our facebook page. When we rescued Joey, he was at death's door. The Emergency Hospital we rushed him too, sent him back to us the very next day. Said they had done all they could for him. I have never forgotten that. He was clearly dying when I put him back in my car. At that point we weren't about to give up on him so we rushed Joey to see Dr. Pam Chandler in Memphis. If he had a prayer at all, it would be in her extraordinary hands. Pam Chandler went the extra mile to save Joey by quickly determining he had a blockage. A stomach full of rocks that were killing him. Emergency surgery was his only option. She made it clear to me that day, Joey would probably not survive the surgery because of his weakened condition. But we took that huge Leap of Faith we so often do at the Tunica Humane Society. Asking God to hold Joey in the Palm of His Hand until he came out of surgery. Joey did survive that day and oh, how he thrived in our care. People from around the country followed Joey's journey back to life. They sent him love letters. They sent him presents. They sent him prayers and well-wishes from every corner of the world. And on Christmas Eve ten years ago, Joey went home with a loving family. It was such a Glorious day for all of us that fought so hard to save him. His adoption even made the national news. I called Joey's dad tonight to see how he is doing. He sent me these pictures to share. Joey is growing old and grey now, just like his rescuers. Life has slowed him down but just a little bit. His health is still good for his age. His body is still strong. His heart is still huge and filled with love for his family. And our hearts are still filled with love for Joey. We simply couldn't give up on him when everyone else had let him down. Our most famous Comeback Kid 12/26/2021
Joey has a message for his old neighborhood... "The joke's on them"....
He's now one of the most loved dogs in the world!!! Will and Grace will always be #1 in our hearts at the Tunica Humane Society I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday morning at our shelter, back in 2018. Sundays are OUR day of Church at the Tunica Humane Society. For the most part, they are quiet and peaceful and filled with joy. Spent hanging out with the precious animals we have given the gift of life. We have seen it all thru the years of the Tunica Humane Society. Unbelievable cruelty, unforgivable abuse. But this Sunday was different. When little Will and his sister were dropped off at our shelter by a good Samaritan, we were left stunned. Angry. So heartbroken, we couldn't stop crying. How could anyone let this happen to an innocent little dog. I can tell you who allows it to happen. Backyard breeders in the South. They couldn't care less about the precious beating heart inside a dog. All they care about is the buck they can make by selling their innocent puppies. Little Will and his sister were victims of irresponsible breeding. Severely deformed and then thrown away like trash because nobody would buy these broken little yorkies. They were useless to whoever had them, so they were dumped on the side of the road. God Blessed these innocent little dogs the day they found their way to the Tunica Humane Society. God Blessed us the day they found their way to Laurie LoMonaco Newman in New York. To make a long story short, Will is a Rock Star. He is the holder of a million hearts. He inspires the world to never to give up. He inspires all of us to Rescue On.
By the Grace of God, these little yorkies ended up in the care of the Tunica Humane Society. They went to the most loving foster home with Lisa and Pete and suddenly, they began to thrive. They learned about love. They learned about healing. They learned that they mattered to a whole bunch of people. They found their happy and there is no turning back!  A Fairytale Ending for Will and Grace... From the moment she first saw them, Laurie knew these little souls needed her. Their bodies twisted and deformed from over breeding. That's what Laurie LoMonaco Newman does. She takes the most broken and gives them the most beautiful life. Will and Grace will be traveling to New York next weekend to join their new mom. She has been waiting patiently for them to get stronger so they could make the trip. A heartfelt thank you to Lisa and Pete Hayes, who have been fostering these little dogs over the last 2 months. In their care, Will and Grace have blossomed into the happiest little pups in the world, even with all of their disabilities. 
A LESSON LEARNED FROM OUR MR. LUCKY.... I have thought so much about this sweet dog over the few days. And laid awake the last few nights thinking about how Lucky has turned around so quickly. On Saturday morning, with tears flowing down my cheeks, I told my sister that we needed to face the fact that Lucky was tired and he was slowly giving up. He had not eaten a bite of food in days. So we made the decision to move him to the front of our shelter where it is much quieter. The reality of this is, we have a really wonderful shelter. We give these animals ALL that we have in us to make them feel loved and special. But we are still just a "shelter". Day after day, our dogs look at the same walls, just waiting for that moment when we walk through the door each morning. For just a few hours each day there is activity going on around them. They bark and jump and celebrate when it is their turn to be touched by loving hands. Many of these dogs that have been with us for years, cannot get close enough to us when they are let out of their kennel. All they want is to be touched and hugged. All they want is us. And then by late afternoon, we are gone and the silence falls over our shelter. And then the next day and the next day are always the same. Lucky has shown us over the last couple of days that as hard as we try, these animals long for so much more. They long to be part of a family. They long to be in the center of things. They long to be close to humans. What a wonderful world it would be if the animal shelters across the country weren't bursting at the seams with dogs just like Lucky. It is my prayer this Christmas Season, that more families will be moved to open their hearts and homes to a shelter dog. It would mean so much than just buying presents that none of us need. It would mean giving life to a shelter dog that has given up on life. A dog just like Lucky....  |
OUR HAPPY TALESMany of our dogs have captured our hearts and have inspired our Executive Director, Sandy Williams to write about them and their stories in the hope someone will be touched by their struggle in life and will want to give them a loving, forever home. |
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