Since I was a child, rescuing animals has been a normal part of my life. I remember being late for school to pick up a hurt bird on the side of the road. I remember driving hours to the other end of the Bay Area to rescue a starving cat. Even though our family had little resources, my Mom always believed we had adequate resources to nurse animals back to health.
After moving to Kigali my obvious next life step was to start volunteering for Rwanda’s only dog rescue. They rehabilitate street dogs and puppies and eventually find an adopter. Even though I was the official WAG volunteer, I convinced Jacob to join me as an unofficial volunteer and dog rescuer.
While out on a grocery run I got a message from the WAG group asking if someone could do an immediate rescue. Jacob and I happened to be a few streets away so we offered to check out the situation. When we arrived we were shocked at what we saw. Two puppies looked relatively healthy except for some minor skin problems. Their mama, on the other hand, did not look healthy at all. She was so skinny that we could make out every single bone in her body. Her tail was stuck in between her legs in fear. She was covered in fleas and had ticks the size of small rocks. It was clear that she gave every ounce of her energy trying to keep her puppies alive.
When we saw the situation we realized we were completely unprepared. While we were able to pick up the puppies and the mama didn’t show any signs of aggression, the mama wouldn’t move away from the abandoned car that she was using to protect herself and her puppies. Jacob and I had no leash, no blankets, and nothing to use to ease her out of her safe spot. Luckily, the woman who called WAG about the rescue was there and offered to run home to pick up an extra leash and blanket. She lived down the road so it took her only a few minutes to gather the supplies and return to finish the rescue mission. Once she returned, I already had the puppies cradled in my arms and was trying to bribe the mama to follow her puppies to the car. Alas, she wouldn’t move a muscle.
Thankfully, our fellow dog lover brought us plenty of tools to get her out and on the road to safety! As I said, she wasn’t aggressive, but we had to use every precaution necessary to avoid getting bit, as that would mean an afternoon at the hospital being treated for potential rabies. Jacob wrapped the leash around her neck, but she held steady in her position. It was time to bring in the blanket. Our rescuer friend wrapped the blanket around her and picked her up while Jacob used the leash to stop her from biting. Instead of trying to fight or bite, she was so scared she peed the whole way to the car. Regardless of the struggle getting her into the car, she was safe with her puppies and on the way to the clinic where she would get baths, food, vaccines, and a safe place to rest while she recovered.
A couple days ago I went to visit the dogs, about a week after they were first brought to the clinic. Their improvement is incredible. The mama dog wags her tail and runs around with the other dogs. Her puppies are just as energetic and always trying to climb out of their crate to explore. Soon they will go to foster homes, then off to their forever homes.
While there are so many animals in Rwanda that need a rescue mission, we are thankful to have three dogs off the streets and on the way to recovery.