Dear Friend of Animals,
Months later, a neighbor from a nearby farm spotted
Dax running loose. Dax had chewed through the rope
and had gotten himself free. But the neighbor had to
wipe his eyes in disbelief at what he was seeing. Dax’s
body mass had all withered away, his skin looked
papery thin, and he looked virtually cadaverous. Not
knowing what to do, the neighbor turned Dax in to the
local, high-kill shelter.
The shelter worker led Dax to the euthanasia room. He
was in such bad shape that he would have to be put
down. The skin on his neck had grown over the nylon
Safe at last, Dax relaxes with a new PetConnect friend.
rope and the embedded collar could only be removed
surgically. The worker paused to look at Dax. The pup huddled close to her, and as the worker bent
down, he nuzzled her neck. The worker couldn’t bring herself to end Dax’s young life and, instead,
sprinted down the hall, and placed a call to PetConnect.
Steven Centofanti
The perky little shepherd pup trotted happily behind his owner’s feet as he was led back into the fields
behind the rented farmhouse. Dax practically pranced he was so happy. He good-naturedly pounced
on the back of his owner’s leg, hoping for play. A half-mile from the house the owner stopped. Using a
strong nylon rope, he tied Dax tightly to a sturdy tree, turned, and marched back to the house without
once looking back. Soon, Dax could hear the sounds of a
large moving van pulling away from the house. Dax patiently waited. But the only family Dax had ever known
had left him for good.
“Dax’s story broke our hearts.” said PetConnect volunteer Mike Courlander. “We were determined to
bring him back to good health by giving him the medical care he needed and by showering him with
all the love he deserved.”
The embedded nylon rope was surgically removed from his neck, and after lots of good food and
nutrition, basic medical care, and heavy doses of treatment for numerous infestations of parasites,
Dax slowly made the transition back to the handsome shepherd he was meant to be. “What is truly
amazing,” said PetConnect’s Tammy Mathis, “is that his wonderfully sweet and trusting personality is
still intact. For all the nastiness that he probably experienced in his early life, he still adores people.”
So, with your generous support, Dax has made his way back to good health and a good life. He is
now settling in his PetConnect foster home, and soon, we hope, he will find a permanent
home where he will be loved for life.
Dax and others like him are why I am writing you today…to ask you for a special Holiday
gift so that PetConnect can rescue, heal, and find loving homes for those like Dax. Not all
the animals’ stories are as dramatic as his, but virtually all of these animals are being saved
from a terrible fate. The hard truth is that we see many heartbreaking
PetConnect Rescue • P.O. Box 60714, Potomac, MD 20859
PetConnect Rescue is a 501(c)3 public charity. All donations are tax deductible.
CFC #84410, Maryland Charity Campaign No. 8442.
(CONTINUED)
One can only imagine the life that Cooper had before his rescue by PetConnect. Cooper, an older,
frightened tabby, was found huddled under the passenger seat of an abandoned car that had been
towed away to the impound lot by authorities. Trembling in fear, Cooper was pulled from the vehicle, but
quickly found himself caged in the local pound. “A timid
cat in a shelter—especially an older one—has almost
no chance of getting noticed among other, more social
cats,” said PetConnect volunteer M.J. Jaffee. “To make
matters worse, Cooper’s teeth were in terrible shape
and his mouth smelled bad. Not something most adopters want to deal with. But one look into Cooper’s pleading eyes told us that this sweet creature just had to be
saved.”
“Cooper was by far the most terrified cat I’d ever met,”
said PetConnect foster mom Tiffany Anderson. “For the
Cooper: Receiving reassurance from his foster mom
first six months in our house, his entire life seemed to
be one of hiding and shaking in fear. Every loud noise would make him skitter across the floor to a
new hiding place.”
Even though Cooper was receiving plenty of love and understanding, and all the medical care he
needed, his extreme skittishness continued to make it difficult for him to find a permanent home. He
was making good progress with his foster family, but he still found strangers terrifying. At adoption
shows, he would bury himself underneath the towels or behind the litter box in his crate, just to shield
himself from the outside world.
Cooper’s foster mom did not give up, however. As Cooper realized over time that he was in a safe
place, he slowly learned to relax and enjoy life more. His fortunes continued to improve when Heather
Wilson saw through Cooper’s extreme shyness and was able to appreciate his sweet, loving nature.
She offered to share her home with him for the rest of his life and adopted him from PetConnect.
“Cooper is a dear, wonderful cat,” said Wilson. “He is purring much more as time goes by and often
stretches out contently on the rug. He is generously returning every bit of the love he has been getting. There truly seems to be something in his eyes that is deeper than in most other cats. It’s almost
as if he knows when his company is needed. Recently, I returned from a family emergency and he
jumped into my lap and snuggled hard against me. Somehow he just knew.”
Like Dax and Cooper, each of PetConnect’s rescued animals has his or her own story to tell. By donating what you can to PetConnect today, you can give all of them new lives with happy endings. For all
the love these animals bring to our homes, they deserve it. I can’t think of a more fitting Holiday gift
than a tax-deductible donation to PetConnect Rescue—for the animals.
With warmest regards,
Lizette Chanock
Founder
P.S. On behalf of all of us at PetConnect Rescue, we
would like to wish you and your family the happiest of
holidays. We extend to you our heartfelt gratitude for all
the kindness you have shown these animals with whom
we share our lives.
Allen Pearson
cases, and the cost of veterinary treatments, medicine, food and the overall care of the animals is staggering. Your special, tax deductible gift can create many more happy endings like Dax’s will surely be.