AC Pup: CARES' efforts in Pleasant Hill prove successful
I'm sure you've heard me mention my nonprofit animal welfare group, Central Georgia CARES, many times before. It's the group founded by my Aunt Patti Jones in 2009 to accomplish as much as possible for the benefit of animals and the people who love them in Middle Georgia.
CARES chose me to be its mascot when I was only a few weeks old. We've been together ever since. I've been paraded around in schools, churches, hospitals, businesses, fall festivals, the Atlanta Braves baseball field, the Cherry Blossom Festival parade and made to sit on more Santa laps than I care to recall.
Even on a larger scale, CARES has been able to raise the awareness of Middle Georgia communities in developing an appreciation for animals and their ability to enrich human lives. We've been fortunate to work with thousands of people throughout our journey to help them with their pets.
One of the most delightful ways CARES does community outreach is through our recent vaccine clinic in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood of Macon. We previously participated in Strong Tower Fellowship's Breakfast and a Book with the kids from Pleasant Hill. CARES board members and I went to the breakfast, read them a book, and I gave them sugar.
While there, we talked to Pastor Tom Anderson about doing a vaccine clinic for the pets in the neighborhood. CARES wanted to make sure the pets there were healthy and had their rabies and booster shots. Pastor Tom was thrilled with the idea. So we began planning.
In addition to offering this service to the families in Pleasant Hill, we also wanted to include the other folks who CARES helps, and that's Meals on Wheels. So we invited families from Pleasant Hill and Meals on Wheels recipients with pets to our vaccine clinic at Strong Tower Fellowship Church on Vineville Avenue.
CARES board members, including Miss Becky Angelo, Dr. George McCommon, Mr. Jeff Battcher, Miss Janet Battcher, Mr. Buddy Pope and others organized, advertised and rallied the troops. Dr. McCommon also brought vet tech Anna Ellis and his students from Fort Valley State University to comfort the animals and help Dr. McCommon with the vaccines.
One thing I love about my group, CARES, is the generosity of the board members' hearts. When we were planning the vaccine clinic, the decision had to be made about what we'd charge for the shots. Because CARES wants to make a positive impact in the neighborhood, the board members unanimously agreed to offer the vaccines at no charge. That's right. We gave necessary shots to the pets for free.
We met some wonderful people and some great dogs while we were giving shots. In fact, one special dog named Boss stole our hearts. He was a sweet pit bull that is obviously adored by his daddy. And it was apparent the love was mutual. Boss and his dad clearly have a very strong bond and companionship. They have the kind of human-pet relationship that is so very endearing and enriching to both lives.
But while we were giving Boss shots, we discovered he had some immediate medical needs that could not be handled at the vaccine clinic. Dr. McCommon determined the condition would need to be surgically resolved in a veterinary hospital.
So CARES made arrangements to cover the cost of the surgery with a local vet, and Miss Becky Angelo transported Boss and his daddy to the hospital. I'm happy to report Boss has had his procedure, recovered nicely, and he and his daddy are absolutely thrilled.
CARES is honored to continue our mission of helping animals and the people who love them. We believe the kinder we all are to animals in our community the more compassionate our community just might be to one another. That's CARES' hope.
Send questions to acpup247@yahoo.com. Visit www.acpup.com or like his Facebook page.
This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "AC Pup: CARES' efforts in Pleasant Hill prove successful ."