Frightened terrier mix covered in painful burrs finds hope and healing

TThe Humane Society of Tampa Bay takes in thousands of animals annually. More than half of these animals are strays, brought to us by kind Tampa Bay citizens who find them or by our Rescue Team. In 2022 alone, over 6,500 scared and defenseless stray animals were brought to HSTB. One such stray pet was Nicholas, a 2-year-old terrier mix. A good Samaritan found Nicholas wandering the streets in severe pain and knew that she must bring him to the HSTB Intake Department immediately. Nicholas was covered head to paw in burrs that had wrapped and tangled themselves in his unkempt and matted fur. The burrs turned his fur into a rat’s nest, making whatever he touched become stuck and adding to the pain. The burrs had become so deep that they were scratching his skin and creating open wounds in the creases of his legs and stomach.

Due to his intense discomfort, the intake veterinary staff knew it was imperative that he be sedated and shaved immediately. It was a long and tedious process; they handpicked the burrs out of his fur one by one and delicately shaved him to give him the relief he deserved. He was then given antibiotics for his infected skin to ensure the wounds did not become more severe. While Nicholas felt better physically and could move around without foreign objects ripping open his skin, he was scared and unsure who to trust. We can only imagine what life was like for him before he came to HSTB.

After being closely monitored for days, Nicholas was ready to find his forever family. However, with the trauma he’d experienced, he was very anxious during meet-and-greets with potential adopters. He would urinate from the stress and then try to hide or become one with the wall. Even on walks, he would roll over and refuse to move, and the staff became extremely worried about him.

Many unsuccessful meets-and-greets later, he finally met his forever family! Adopters Andrew and his daughter came to HSTB looking for a new dog but wanted one that was having a hard time finding a home. When they were told about Nicholas, they immediately wanted to meet him. Andrew’s daughter sat on the floor and waited quietly for Nicholas to come to her. After a few minutes, he moved tentatively towards her and, suddenly realizing he’d met the one he’d been waiting for, he crawled into her lap, licked her face, and wagged his tail! He was home.

REWARD GIVEN for Capture of Town & Country Cat Killer

In 2022, the Tampa Bay community was rocked by the shooting and killing of stray cats in the Town ‘N’ Country area of Hillsborough County. HSTB immediately offered a $2,500 reward for capturing the person(s) responsible for this deplorable act on defenseless animals, to stop more cats from being harmed. Florida Voices for Animals donated an additional $1,000 to the reward. The perpetrator evaded capture for many months, but those in the community did not give up hope that he would be caught eventually.

Finally, a courageous woman and her boyfriend became heroes to the cats and community. They caught their neighbor in the act, gun in hand, shooting at defenseless and frightened cats. This fearless couple sprang into action, chasing him and calling the police. After months, the cats’ nightmare was over.

When we learned more about the couple, we found that they are avid volunteers with the TNVR program and had even taken in multiple cats who were maimed by the senseless crime. They are devoted to the cats in our community and do whatever they can to ensure they are happy, healthy, and safe. HSTB was honored to be able to give them the reward for their act of bravery and for putting the cats first.

Tnvr

Good for Community

The TNVR Program at HSTB began in 2007 and is now a pillar of the Tampa Bay animal welfare community. Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR), is the humane method of controlling feral cat populations. With the help of incredible volunteer trappers, 77,873 cats have been helped since 2008!

HSTB believes in caring for the whole community, reaching beyond the confines of our county and shelter. When Rescue Pets of Florida and Pasco County Animal Services reached out with a great need for TNVR but no resources to start a program, HSTB offered use of our facilities. Now, each month, the groups transport their cats to HSTB’s shelter for “pop-up” TNVR clinics.