If I didn't see this with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that one person (Deborah Binns) with her network of helpers (i.e., Kingston Community Animal Welfare) could rescue and help so many animals. Or that there are so many animals to be rescued and helped (sadly, there are in Kingston). As I wrote this, I realized there would have to be an Unbelievable Part 2 next month; KCAW has rescued and discovered so many more animals in need of supplemental feeding and spay/neuter--it could take a book! Thanks to AKI donors, we support about 90% of KCAW's operating costs!
These guys and gals (picture below, in March) make up just one group of dogs that Deborah feeds regularly. They live at a squatter camp, a row of temporary shacks. They number anywhere from 7 to 12 depending on how far they roam to search for food. Deborah's take on this: "Some are either really smart or just plain lazy to go anywhere cause they wait for me." The people who live here barely feed the dogs. Deborah/KCAW has had all the girls spayed and some of the males neutered, but not all. Of course, when funds are limited, the #1 priority is the females.
Before Deborah was able to spay all the dogs at the squatter camp, this dog had puppies. Deborah wondered where she was going to find homes for all these dogs. But then, looking back, she always has and always will. And she did.
The picture below is one group of kitties that Deborah feeds regularly. These are totally wild, but sometimes she can get close enough to touch one. This is the family that Miltie (previous AKI Blog post about KCAW) came from. All of these are females! And they are wary of traps. But Deborah has been working at getting them spayed, and she's almost gotten all of them.
Yikes, what a load of puppies this mama had! When Deborah drove by, they were running along the side of a road with no idea about the dangers that lurk just a few feet away. She stopped and gathered them up and brought them to the safety of the KCAW kennels, along with mama of course.
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These kids (picture below) live with lots of dogs and their puppies. Deborah knew of them from her network and has been helping them care for their pets--the kids really love their dogs! Deborah has de-wormed them, bathed them, and she gives them dog food to supplement what the family provides. And she's gotten all the females spayed.
The kids say thank you for helping their dogs........
Deborah was driving in downtown Kingston and saw this little guy (1st video) on a street corner--he looked like he was ready to give up! So sad for a young puppy who should be having the time of his life. Of course Deborah had to stop. Check out the 2nd video, he's in Deborah's car driving home with her. His name is Lucky.
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Here's Lucky on his way to his new life with Deborah. A few weeks later, Deborah wrote, "He's the best pup ever." (Should we take bets on who's going to adopt him?)
These pups (picture below) live at the same squatter camp as the dogs in the 1st picture. Wouldn't you know it, someone brought in a new female and she had puppies before Deborah could catch her and get her spayed! Deborah tried so hard to catch the new female after she saw her mating, but she was so wild, no one could go near her. There's so much space, bush, and gullies to run and hide, and the dog just would not go into a trap. Deborah asked the people at the squatter camp to help catch the dog, but they said, "no she wild an 'mi nuh waan nuh dawg bite."
Deborah de-wormed and bathed the puppies and found homes for 3 of them and these 5 still need homes.
Good news about the wild mama, she finally allows Deborah to touch her and she was spayed in April. The elusive wild mama of the pups is in the video below-who would believe such a tiny thing could have 8 puppies.
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Another stray, hungry mama dog (picture below), now on Deborah's feeding route, they quickly learn to look for her, they even learn which days she shows up. There were no pups around with this mama.
Once a dog allows Deborah to comfortably approach, they're off to get spayed--that will soon be the case with this mama. Young, adult dogs usually do fine on the street in Kingston-with KCAW's supplemental feedings and as long as someone is watching out to make sure the dog remains healthy and safe. Once spayed, this dog will go back to her home on the street.
An old man and his nephew live with a yard full of dogs at a house near the bus terminal in downtown Kingston. Until Deborah showed up, they knew nothing of spaying. They do their best-they have very little to spare, they try to feed the dogs, but they think one small pan for 10 dogs is sufficient. As of now, 5 females have been spayed and only a small brown female pup needs to be fixed. All these dogs came from the same female!
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This mama cat is always seen with her little kitty, roaming around an apartment complex in Kingston. She had a litter earlier this year; Deborah caught the kittens and homed them. She's working on getting this female spayed, but so far, all attempts to catch her have failed. The next attempt-Deborah will put the little kitty in a trap and hope mama will go inside.
We'll leave you with the happy story of Orlando, one of the apartment complex kittens from her last litter. At the apartment complex, he used to beg at apartment doors (picture below). He was destined to find a great home:
And Deborah found one: this is Orlando, off to his new home:
Here's Orlando at home, where in between play time, he spends his hours sleeping on his bed:
See you next month for Unbelievable Part 2.