UPDATE 11/14/02 on the Montana collies

Statement by AWCA president Jean Levitt

*Permission to crosspost*

On Tuesday, November 12th, I sent our weekly open letter to the "Shelby Promoter" newspaper expressing our continuing deep gratitude to the Shelby community caring for the collies. I assure those good people the collie community was strongly united behind them.

AWCA is SOOOO proud of you!! Your generosity has extended way beyond our requests.  The offered prayers; that "mean pot of soup" and warm beds for the support teams if they pass through your area when they are deployed; the donated Frequent Flyer miles; the tank of gas; the extra pair of rubber boots: the offer of an old winter coat that can be burned after mucking out the stalls in Shelby, that's just a few of the marvelous donations offered to help those animals and the people of Shelby caring for them.

 

I want to personally thank you for the restraint many of you are maintaining by only communicating facts not fiction about this rescue and for the respect shown to the Montana authorities when your refrain from overtaxing their limited staff with unnecessary phone calls and emails.

 

I thank you, AWCA thanks you and the Montana authorities thank you.

 

When I originally offered the services of AWCA Collie rescue to the Toole County Sheriff's department, I also put them in touch with the Island County Sheriff's department on Camano Island, Washington to acquaint them with the successful outcome of the 75 Washington collie rescued last summer.

 

Animal control officers Dianna Blakely and Carol Barnes who dealt so wonderfully with that rescue are donating their time and experience to the 182 Shelby collie rescue.  They will arrive in Montana today, Thursday, at the invitation of under-sheriff Donna Matoon. They will place themselves at the disposal of the Toole County Sheriff's Department. They travel on donated funds and frequent flyer miles presented to them by their Washington State community.

This is the way the two officers and their community have chosen to "give back" to the collie community for the outstanding support they received last summer. These officers have promised to hug the dogs (*and cats*) for us. AWCA on site representative Paul Scholl will welcome them on behalf of the collie community.

 

Calmly,

 

Jean Levitt, President AWCA

 

Lisa King Director AWCA Collie Rescue

 

and the officers and members