At the close of hunting season each year my inbox fills with urgent pleas to help the hound dogs. Tales of terror and woe are relayed. It’s no fabrication; hound dogs crawl out of the forest covered in shoe polish and blood. The shoe polish is a cheap way to identify which dog belongs to which hunting party. The blood can be a result of the hunting expedition or worse.
The dogs are found in various ways. Children stumble across them in ditches while playing hide and go seek. Half frozen, legs broken, skulls bashed in with blunt objects; shovels, logs, hammers.
The “lucky” dogs get a bullet to the head, and their suffering is ended. But, some dogs don’t even merit the use of a good bullet.
Drivers call in and report hounds sitting on the white line adjacent to the highway. Usually the dog sitting on the white line spent the weekend inside the hunting preserve working. However, if the dog didn’t work hard enough they are kicked out of the truck. Sometimes thrown from the vehicle while it’s still moving. The owner will direct the dog to sit and stay on the side of the road. The owner will drive away and the dog waits and waits and waits. But their person never comes back.
During the off season the dogs are chained and annexed to a backyard. They are never allowed indoors. Sometimes they are fed; sometimes they get water. The dogs are not family members, they are not loved.
The irony of their treatment is Hound Dogs are bred to be tightly bonded to their people. These dogs thrive on being a part of the family dynamic. Love and interaction is a necessity for the intuitive and sensitive hound. Without it they become despondent and unruly.
Three years ago, I was made aware of the brutality, that is simply a way of life for hound dogs. I received an email asking for help with placement of four hound dogs that had been chained in a backyard and left to die during the “off season”. It was hard for me to fathom that dogs were being treated like this.
The experience in trying to help the four chained hound dogs inadvertently led me to found My Fairy Dawg Mother Rescue.
I didn’t set out to start a non-profit dog rescue. I just wanted to help these creatures who are terribly misunderstood and abused. Along the way I have met so many amazing people that were looking for a way to help the dogs too! The link below is a great read for anyone that wants to know more about the plight of the Hounds. It’s filled with information on how we can start to make changes for not just hounds, but all dogs. I appreciate every single person that has “liked” our Face Book Page, visits our web site, and attends our events. You are supportive and generous. None of the Rescue Operations would be possible with our “pack” of people. You are always willing to lend a hand no matter what the request may be. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
With sincere gratitude and love,
Nikki Gwin
Executive Director
My Fairy Dawg Mother Rescue