SAVE LIVES BY ADOPTING OR FOSTERING FROM ANIMAL CONTROL

Clarksville has an abundance of dogs and cats.

Some are blessed with a home. Some have no idea what that means.
There are those with sufficient food and water, a warm blanket to sleep on, perhaps a doghouse in the backyard, or some other place to call their own.
Others wander aimlessly thru the streets and alleyways, down busy roadsides, digging through trash and debris to find the scraps of human discard as nourishment.
Many are in good health, and have someone to maintain that status and assure a long and fruitful life.
Too many are sick, malnourished, broken and maimed, to the point that every breath is agony.
The blessed have someone to love them, and be their human. They have someone to give them a name and a purpose.
The lost would give anything to know even a tiny bit of that happiness. They have no idea what they are doing here. All they know is that they were born and discarded into a life where every moment is a fight to survive.
Citizens take pity on these lost souls. They show kindness in the form of food or water or a friendly pat on the head. Some of these good Samaritans will go the distance and step up to help find these battered souls a good home.
Our local shelters fight everyday to stem the tide and lower the number of indigent animals. But it’s a war that is overwhelming. Only small battles are won, and complete victory is currently out of grasp.
Most of these homeless and helpless spirits, when caught, wind up at Animal Control.
This is the first time many of them will be sheltered from the elements, have a regular supply of food, drink clean water, and have someone talk to them or offer a gentle touch.
But it is also the last place many of them see.
Through Animal Control’s partnership with groups like the Humane Society of Clarksville-Montgomery Co.,and the Montgomery County Friends of the Shelter, volunteers photograph the adoptable pets and place them on petfinder.com in hopes that people will adopt them. Each week, the page fills with beautiful fuzzy faces with one thing in common: they want to be loved.
Thankfully, many of these precious spirits get adopted, finding that final destination in someone’s heart and home.
But due to circumstances of space, finances, and the tendency of humans to overlook pound animals, not all are promised their happy ending.
People see the photos, fall completely in love with an image, but perhaps opt to not follow through.
So, a small dedicated heart waits to beat for that special human it longs for. But the human never comes, time runs out, and that tiny, fragile heartbeat is silenced forever.
Their last thought: Why didn’t you come?
If you, or someone you know is considering the addition of a pet, look at the adoptable animals available at Montgomery County Animal Control & Adoption Service.
If you are not ready to commit your heart or home full time to an animal—consider a short term foster. Through fostering, YOU become the lifeboat to an animal who is swimming for it’s life in a sea of despair. These poor creatures can only swim so long before they sink into the abyss , and become yet another statistic.
You can foster from Animal Control thru FRIENDS OF THE SHELTER, or the Humane Society. Reach them at MCFOTS@gmail.com or by calling the HS at 931-648-8042.
If you can help in any way—please do.