Submitted by Kate Thomson of Marblehead
Here in the Northeast, we’re well-versed in winter storm prep. Streets get salted, parking bans go into effect, there’s a run on milk, bread and Bailey’s. We hunker down and wait it out.
But for animal rescue groups, a major weather event like this can wreak havoc.
This weekend, the team at Sweet Paws Rescue in Groveland (MA Rescue License # 0078) was working around the clock to make sure that the 23 puppies and four adults that arrived Friday from West Point, Mississippi, made it safely out of their facility and into warm foster or forever homes before the storm hit.
Scores of volunteers were scheduled to care for the dogs through Tuesday, and the team knew that storm-related disruption to those volunteers reaching the pups could have real consequences. Relocating this many dogs was a high-touch, enormous act of care.
Two of those puppies landed in my living room in Marblehead. Meet Butter and Scramble: adorable 3-month-old blonde lab mixes who are fully vetted and ready for their forever homes.
Butter is the darker yellow of the two — confident, spunky, the first to investigate anything new. But the second you pick her up, she melts into your arms like she’s been waiting her whole life to be held. Scramble is her calmer counterpart. She’s mellow (in puppy terms) and observant in the sweetest way.
These sisters, along with their whole litter of 11, who are being fostered throughout the North Shore, are sweet, affectionate and showing all the signs of being wonderful family dogs.
When you rescue a dog, you’re participating in a system that saves lives. Sweet Paws brings animals from high-need areas where shelters are overcrowded and resources are limited… and while in the past that has predominantly meant transports from the South, Massachusetts is now seeing record numbers of heartbreaking surrenders and abandonments. In many municipalities, funds simply aren’t there to address the growing need.
Nonprofit groups like Sweet Paws are transparent, responsible and mission driven. The adoption process is straightforward but intentionally thorough. Prospective adopters fill out an online application at sweetpawsrescue.org/adoption-info and adoption coordinators work diligently to set up both the humans and the dogs for long-term success.
I’m heartened by the fact that, despite the fact that so many people are letting their animals down, there are others pouring care and effort into keeping as many safe as possible.
Enjoy the snow day! I’ll be over here enjoying all the puppy snuggles and hoping that somewhere in our community there are two families who don’t know yet that their beloved future dog is already here.
