Hounds have a special place at Triangle Pets Alive, as the organization is keenly aware of the plight of these dogs, in North Carolina and beyond. Many hounds wind up at shelters or meet an undeserved fate at the hands of the humans to whom they have been so loyal. When they are no longer needed for sport, they are abandoned, starved or killed. After hunting season, many emerge from the woods, abandoned and desperate for help. There are responsible, humane hunters out there, but too many view dogs as tools. The shelters become overcrowded, many hounds still labeled with their hunting numbers.
Penny’s story starts like this – castoff in the woods and found as a stray. She came to Beaufort County Animal Shelter with her hunting number on her sides; symbolically, the number was “zero.” This hound was nameless, worthless to the people who had abandoned her.
Thankfully, Triangle Pets Alive rescued her and saw her number in a different light – back to zero, a fresh start. Named Penny, she went to a foster home with a resident hound, who was also adopted from the Beaufort shelter a year before. After a warm bath and a good meal, her foster parents took her to a quiet park by a lake. Penny sat still on the hill, next to her foster parents, staring at the water. She turned to one of them, and gently put her front paws on his shoulders. She closed her eyes and swayed her head in the wind. Sweet Penny had a fresh start, and she was ready for the journey.
Lyda Milhalyi and her son, Scott, met Penny, and the three shared a moment of mutual understanding that they had both come to the right place at the right time. Penny started her happily ever after with Lyda and her family. This hound no longer has a worry in the world! She has a bed in every sunny room in the house, and a big fenced yard that’s prime for chasing squirrels.
Located inside the walls of an overcrowded, rural shelter was Annie, a very pregnant and heartworm-positive Treeing Walker Coonhound. Likely abandoned in a field, this young girl had clearly lived a life of neglect, never knowing how it felt to be loved. Annie’s world changed for the better on a September afternoon when Triangle Pets Alive arrived at the shelter to rescue this soon-to-be mom.
Once settled in her foster home, Annie quickly learned all the comforts of home. A soft couch accommodated Annie’s plump belly. Being the recipient of love and care, Annie knew she was in a safe place to deliver her pups. As Annie relaxed, her playful side began to shine through: It became well-known that Annie was a sock hoarder. Socks not worn on the feet were hers for the taking (and hiding)!
During the evening hours a few weeks after her rescue, Annie gave birth to nine healthy puppies. Weeks turned into months, and one by one, Annie’s puppies were placed in loving homes. Annie successfully completed heartworm treatment and was spayed six weeks later. Her fairytale ending came when the Dobbins family adopted Annie.
Charlie and Debbie Dobbins, friends and supporters of Triangle Pets Alive, had come to know Annie after her rescue. They were hoping to adopt another hound to serve as a companion for them as well as their aging Vizsla, Lucy. Charlie, Debbie, and their son, James, discovered that Annie was that girl! Today, Lucy and Annie enjoy all the comforts of home, and daily walks through the neighborhood brings meet-ups with other dogs, too. Locopops is a favorite destination for the entire Dobbins family. Ice cream for people and pups – talk about living life rich and full!
As the dog days of summer seemed never ending, so did the influx of stray dogs at Wayne County’s animal shelter. A Bluetick Coonhound was one of those strays. Complete with alluring brown markings that masked her eyes, and in peak condition, she would wait and wait for her people to come, but nobody ever did. Her life now hung in the balance. A shelter volunteer contacted Triangle Pets Alive and asked if they could admit another hound into the program. The day of Lacey’s freedom ride marked the start of a 10-month journey in rescue at Triangle Pets Alive.
Lacey was an intelligent young hound and obedient, always wanting to please her foster. Affectionate, loyal, funny and sensitive would best describe Lacey. She was the most perfect dog! Perfect until left alone – Lacey’s fear of being abandoned ran deep. Teaching her to feel safe when not in the company of her caregiver was the ultimate challenge. Lacey could not be given free reign of the home because of her state of panic when left alone, so the first order of business was to teach her that her crate was a safe place, a special place where only good things happened. She had the Taj Mahal of crates, but Lacey learned to escape her crate, and even open doors in search of her people. Over the coming months however, Lacey learned that her crate was a peaceful place where she could be safe while her foster family was away. Baby steps evolved into leaps, and Lacey was ready for adoption.
Her adopters had to be very special, providing lots of love, reassurance and togetherness. Mary and John O’Keefe were those people. Now, Lacey is always eager for her 5am walk, taking in all the wonderful scents that nature left behind during the night, which is most fulfilling for a hound. She enjoys going to doggie daycare every Thursday at The Pet Wagon in Durham. Attending daycare keeps Lacey feeling confident, which is so important for an anxious dog. “Our lives are so much better,” Mary says. She is family, and is forever home!
Often the work of Coalition to Unchain Dogs has nothing to do with unchaining a dog and everything to do with lending a hand. Take the case of Mary and her 12-year-old dog, Lil’ Rider.
For 19 years Mary lived in the same apartment, and she was truly at home there. She loved spending time outdoors tending the community flowerbeds and talking with her neighbors. Everyone knew Mary and Lil’ Rider. So it came as a shock when the Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that her home had “too many bedrooms” for Section 8 housing. Mary had to find a new home, fast.
At 72, alone, and on a fixed income, the move was not easy to make. After paying the costs of the move, Mary had nothing left to pay a pet deposit for Lil’ Rider. She thought she had no other choice but to let go of her only friend and companion … but fortunately, someone told her about the Coalition. They know that financial hardships are temporary, but love is forever. They also know that sending dogs to an already overburdened animal shelter is no kind of solution to an easily fixed problem. So the organization covered the cost of Lil’ Rider’s pet deposit. Today the pair are still together and doing great.
One morning, Dolly wandered onto Fay Street in Durham, where Eddie Jones was sitting on his front porch. He offered the dog a piece of his sandwich, and they’ve been buddies ever since. Dolly has her favorite chair in the living room where she likes to sleep when not following Eddie to the store at the end of the street.
Eddie loves Dolly, but he lacks transportation and easy access to veterinary care. Enter the Coalition to Unchain Dogs. They provided Dolly with a veterinary appointment including a spay and vaccinations. Now this pair can be happy and healthy together for the long run.
