Chapter 4
It was hard for Lindsey to think of anything but that new sanctuary, the Haven.
The other women at this particular shelter here in town were thrilled that it was a viable option for their overflow and that somebody could help relieve the stress of having so many animals, particularly when funding was also short.
“It’s so darn hard,” Lillian noted, looking over at Lindsey. “So many animals are in such need, and, if we don’t help them, who will?”
“This guy Timber seems to have deep pockets, and he’s getting quite a center set up out there,” Lindsey shared, “and he did say they could take another ten or fifteen dogs, if that would relieve our stress.”
Lillian stared at her in delight. “Oh my yes, that would help a lot.” Then she asked, “Would it be terribly wrong of us to ship out some of the longer-term tougher cases?”
Lindsey frowned and chewed on that. “Why don’t I talk to them first? I have Tiffany’s number. She’s the vet who works out there the most.”
Lillian read the business card and nodded. “Yeah, I know her. She’s helped us out a couple times.”
Lindsey continued. “Another vet helps out there as well, one who works with exotic animals here in town. I’ve heard of her too.”
“Good, so it seems they’ve got some able support then.” Lillian smiled. “That is huge because God knows all these animals need it. Plus, I wouldn’t feel guilty for sticking them with more dogs.”
A quick conversation between Lindsey and Tiffany followed. “We wanted to touch base about additional animals. We have a couple that need surgery, and some are special needs, and I’m not sure if that’s within Timber’s capacity at the moment.”
At that, Tiffany started asking deeper questions.
Lindsey explained, “I’ve got a cat that needs an amputation, and we usually have a local vet helping us, but he just called off that particular surgery because he’s got other surgeries happening, so it’s been delayed.
The problem is that this is the third time it’s been delayed,” she noted.
“I can’t blame him, and we’ve been pulling him in a lot, and I know that’s a problem. ”
Tiffany replied, “If it’s an amputation, send me the file and photos. This is my surgery day, but I did get a cancellation for today. Plus, we had one pass away before they could bring him in for surgery. So, let me see what I can do.”
“That would be great, thanks.”
“Now, tell me about the problem ones?” They went over a couple of cases, and Tiffany said, “Okay, I think we can take care of both of those down at the sanctuary. Just give me a minute to check.” She left Lindsey on hold, then suddenly returned. “So, will you bring in the cat today?”
“Absolutely,” Lindsey declared. “If you are willing to help him, then I’m all about bringing him in.”
“Good enough. I’ll give you a shout back in five.
” It was closer to ten minutes when Tiffany called back.
“I can probably do the cat today at three, but I’ll need him ahead of time to ensure he’s stable enough and to give me a chance to take a good look at him and get some X-rays.
If it’s a simple enough thing,” she explained, “then I should get it done this afternoon.”
“Gosh, that’s great. Thank you.”
“Oh, also, Timber has okayed the two special needs dogs you’ve got, so is that fourteen going out now?”
“Fourteen dogs, plus three cats, if you have space for cats, that is,” Lindsey noted.
“We do in theory. We just haven’t set up for cats yet, but that’s definitely on the list,” Tiffany replied. “I don’t know that we have blankets and houses ready for them yet.”
“Okay, just tell me what you want me to bring, since any animal you can take will relieve the load here.”
Tiffany pointed out, “We left it at the bare minimum last time, but honestly, they can’t really support much more at this moment.”
“No, I get it.”
“Bring in the cat when you can, and we’ll go from there.”
Agreeing to transport the cat within the next hour, Lindsey turned to Lillian and Annabel.
“Tiffany will do the surgery for the cat, and, as long as it’s simple and clean, she’ll get it done today.
If it’s more than that, I’m not sure of the plan, but she ended up with an unexpected opening in her surgery schedule today,” Lindsey explained.
“And they agreed to take the two special-needs dogs at the sanctuary.”
“Oh, thank God,” the women cried out in delight.
“Tiffany told me, as far as cats, the Haven just hasn’t had time to set up for them yet. … However, if we need to move them, the Haven can take some of them, but they may not have blankets or anything for them yet. Still, it’s certainly within their parameters.”
They laughed at that good news. Lillian said, “Okay, that’s what we needed to know. Let’s go separate out animals and add in a blanket or two as well.”
By the time they were done with that, Lindsey had Tom, the cat that needed surgery, loaded up, and she headed to Tiffany’s clinic.
As she pulled into the back, Tiffany came out and smiled at her. “Perfect timing. Let’s get this guy inside, where I can get a look at him.”
Lindsey stayed nearby while they worked on him. Tom was a docile big baby, but had had a bad interaction with a dog, and the untreated bite had caused a fair bit of damage to Tom’s hind leg.
Tiffany didn’t like the look of the leg at all. “Just as you told me, this should have been done days ago.”
“Yeah,” Lindsey agreed. “The vet had it booked a couple times, but some scheduling mishap came up once and an emergency the other time, and they couldn’t do it.”
“Sounds a little sketchy,” Tiffany muttered.
“I don’t know what really happened,” Lindsey noted, “but, as you can see, we are now rather desperate to get him looked after.”
Tiffany nodded. “I’ll take care of this today,” she declared.
“Great, thank you. I’ll go back to the center and pick up the other animals to take out to the Haven, if you’re okay with that.”
“Yeah, absolutely,” she said. “Give Timber a call and let him know you’re coming. The cats can go in one of the rooms that we have designated for felines, even though he’ll be upset because we haven’t set up anything for them yet.”
“Okay.” Lindsey nodded.
“The happy news is that it will also trigger some action, and it will get done in no time,” Tiffany added, with a smile.
“I brought a few toys and a couple blankets, but we don’t have much else for them.”
“That’s fine,” Tiffany replied, with a wave of her hand. “We’ll get more. It’s just that we’re still in building-and-growing mode.”
“Get used to it because that’s likely how it will be from now on,” Lindsey shared, with a knowing smile. “That’s just how this seems to work.” And, with that, she drove back to the center in town to load up the additional animals, then headed to the Haven.
When she pulled in, she was disappointed that Sterling didn’t show up right away. Several other men came out, and Timber was there too.
He smiled and nodded. “Apparently we’re starting with felines today, are we?”
“Absolutely,” she said, with a bright smile. “Yep, in addition to the two special dogs, we have one nursing mom with kittens, and a couple singles. However, these are all fixed.”
“That is something, at least,” Timber noted.
“Tiffany is doing a surgery for us on Tom, a cat with a leg badly damaged following an ugly dustup with a dog.”
He frowned and nodded. “Yeah, that probably happens more than I want to know.”
“Too many times,” she said. “Yet, in this case, it’s not about losing his leg anymore but trying to save him.”
He winced and nodded. “She’ll do what she can.”
By the time Lindsey had the new animals settled into their new digs, she looked around and shared, “You’ve done a hell of a job here.”
He turned to her and shrugged. “Thanks, but obviously we still have a way to go.”
“This will just be your life now,” she shared, grinning broadly. “You’ve got quite a selection of animals already. Some I expected, and others I hadn’t really thought about. What you’ve done here is phenomenal,” she murmured. “So, big kudos to you guys.”
He waved his arm around the property. “I’ve had an awful lot of really good help.”
“And that’s how it should be,” she agreed. “It’s a big job no matter what. Anyway, I was just bringing all these out, and we really want to thank you for taking the pressure off the shelter.”
“I don’t remember who, but somebody told me that you’re an accountant. Do I have that right?”
She nodded. “Yes, I am. So naturally I do the books for a couple centers in town.” He just nodded but didn’t say anything. She stared at him. “Did you have a question?”
He shrugged.
Another man nearby called out, “Yeah, he’s just not good at asking for help.”
“What kind of help do you need?” she asked Timber.
He sighed. “We really need somebody to look at our books. I’m just not ready to take that on full-time.”
She laughed. “I hear you there. Plus, you’ve got such a massive operation on the go here that it wouldn’t be a quick process anyway. Yet I’m sure you have a good idea if you’re floating or not.”
“Oh, we’re floating,” he said, with a nod. “However, with this expansion and all, I’m a little uncertain about where I stand in the big overall picture.”
“The main things are if money is left in the kitty now and whether you’ve got enough saved up or an income plan to handle it long-term,” Lindsey pointed out. “Any time you want me to come take a look, that’s fine. I’m more than happy to help out.”
He nodded. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”
“And we appreciate you,” she shared. “Animal shelters and animal rescues in general are kind of a joint effort by necessity, and the fact that we’re getting as much help as we are from you is massive.” With a wave, she headed back to her vehicle, but then turned and asked, “Is Sterling around?”
“He went into town, running errands. He’s also checking out the horse-boarding facility you mentioned.”
“Right, called Lonely Acres, and it’s been run by an older couple for a very long time.
However, both are dealing with difficult health issues now.
The son has been looking to change the scenario for a while.
He doesn’t want to live way out in the middle of nowhere anymore.
Plus, although it’s a good moneymaker, a lot of the horses there are getting older.
Therefore, they must be watched a little more closely to keep them going and comfortable,” she explained, with a smile.
“It’s more than just the caretaking part of it that the son doesn’t like.
He just doesn’t want to live out there. So I guess he’s convinced his dad that it’s time to shut it down. ”
“And yet Dad doesn’t really want to?”
“I don’t think Dad necessarily has a choice anymore.
He’s past his prime. His wife needs looking after more now too.
I think that’s been part of the big problem for the son.
He’s been handling the horses all by himself, and it’s not something he enjoys.
I think currently something like thirty-two horses are there, at least the last time I was there. ”
She shrugged. “I periodically touch base with all the various shelters, rescues, boarding facilities, and other centers in the area,” she shared.
“So I happen to know that this one will go through a series of changes no matter what. When I saw what you had here in terms of land and potential, it seemed to be an opportunity worth considering.”
He groaned, but she pushed on.
“So, these animals, because they are older and need more attention in terms of feed, supplements, and meds in some cases, would need shelters. They couldn’t be in pastures all the time.”
“No, of course not,” he agreed, as he turned to view the buildings around them. He pointed to one slightly off to the side. “That’s the horse barn. And I thought thirty-two individual stalls was a crazy idea, but we built them. So apparently not so crazy after all.”
“No, not at all.” She chuckled. “Depending on these older animals, depending on the size of the stalls, maybe you can put some together, if they’re friends,” she added, with a smile. “Just like the rest of us, I guess.”
He laughed. “Oh, I can see where you’re coming from on that one,” he muttered.
“Anyway, if you are interested, give him a call.”
“Sterling planned to go over there and see the operation and get an idea of what it would take to pull it off here.”
“Good,” she said. “I’m glad I could provide a heads-up.
If that helps you guys and helps the owners of Lonely Acres with another place for the animals to go, it works out well for everyone.
” With that, she hopped into her vehicle and added, “If you need any help, give me a shout. I can’t guarantee to always be here, but, if I can help out here, I will. ”
With that and a bright smile, she backed up the truck and returned to town.