UPDATE 5/03/03 on the Montana Collies
Statement by AWCA President Jean Levitt
*Permission to crosspost*
Folks, right now, in preparation to move the animals from Shelby to Great Falls, an army of volunteers from Montana, and Canada are disinfecting and packing all supplies not immediately needed.
Every detail of the move has been carefully planned. All special-needs-dogs will have familiar personal attendants traveling with them. These attendants are prepared to croon and talk softly all the way to Great Falls if necessary. Seasoned volunteers familiar to the animals will stay with them in Great Falls for a period of time to smooth their transition, and to provide a gentle segue to the team of fresh volunteers. Many of the seasoned volunteers will continue helping the animals throughout the year by traveling to Great Falls regularly, although, understandably, they are in need of a rest period.
As we prepare to bring closure to Camp Collie I in Shelby, we are grateful beyond expression to the town, the surrounding communities, and their people for saving the animals. Shelby and the surrounding communities will forever be remembered for this great kindness to the Collies and other animals.
Two new animal cruelty laws - the new law in Montana, and the law presently being worked on in Alaska, H.B. 275, which borrows language from the new Montana law - have resulted from this case. The cruel suffering these animals endured, has brought about these improvements in the laws. May every state follow the examples of Montana and Alaska.
May I ask you at this time for two things?
1. Please say a prayer and hold positive thoughts for these animals and the devoted people caring for them as they make this transition to Camp Collie II in Great Falls.
2. Please continue making your generous contributions to the AWCA and Shelby rescue funds. This necessary move to the new building has created initial expenditures from both funds beyond our normal budgets. Your financial assistance for this move is greatly appreciated.
...and now we present the experience of a recent volunteer who traveled from California to help in Shelby:
Late in the afternoon–after all 175 dogs had been fed, exercised, groomed as needed, and all had gotten some personal interaction–I stood alone in the back of the barn looking at the long rows of steel pens, at the great expanse of mahogany, tri-color, and blue fur they contained. All these beautiful dogs, held behind bars, barking for attention, barking for recognition.
It was my third day in Montana. I had been following the story for months from my home in California, outraged by how these Collies had been mistreated. I had been raising money for them on eBay, putting up posters, sending out email to make other people aware of the situation, wanting so much to right the wrong. Finally I was able to be here with them, if only for a week. And this was my favorite time of day–when the rest of the volunteers had gone home, exhausted, and I had the dogs all to myself for a little while…until the Search and Rescue people told me I had to go so they could shut down for the night.
I looked at them and tears welled up in my eyes. Barely able to choke out the words, I told my new canine friends that along with the incredibly dedicated group of local people they knew and loved, there were also others like me across America and in Canada and even Europe who cared about them. I went on to say that they were always in our thoughts and our prayers, and that we were doing everything we could–even from far away–to make sure they were comfortable and well cared for. I said that we were all trying very hard to make it possible for each one of them to live a life filled with happiness. I told them how fantastically courageous they were and how I admired them and adored them. I didn’t care if I was ridiculous; I looked upon those classically sweet, intelligent faces and went on and on as if they understood.
Suddenly, I realized there wasn’t a bark, groan, or whimper in the entire barn. My Collie audience stood in rapt attention, their eyes boring into mine. In contrast to the ear-numbing cacophony heard throughout the day, this silence was awe-inspiring. There were rows and rows and rows of dogs looking at me! This strange and unexpected moment took my breath away, and I realized that this exceptional experience was like no other in my life. Now I was crying, not because these wonderful dogs were being held in confinement for so many months, but because their undivided focus on me moved me so much.
As I was wondering what else I could say to this amazingly attentive group, I remembered hearing that, while dogs might not understand all our words, they somehow perceive the pictures in our mind’s eye. As I wiped away my tears, I pictured them, as hard as I could, running and playing in the yards of families who would give them all the love they deserved.
This scene was then replayed each day; we’d have our “private time” and I would send them pictures of a happy future. As my departure date grew closer, I tried giving some additional attention throughout the day to the Collies who had become extra-special to me. One of them was “Number 82,” who was so gentle for an unfixed male that he especially impressed me with his temperament. We’d go out to one of the runs and I’d throw a toy which he’d run after full of joy and exuberance–only to abandon the object at the last moment, preferring to race back and smother me with kisses (which I would of course return!). Then when it was time to return him to his pen, I’d get all teary again, feeling so sad for him, but he would walk back to the enclosure, his head held high, and allow me to unhook his collar. All the Collies seemed to be accepting and gentle in this way, never trying to run, and always maintaining their dignity, their true Collie nature. This is very different from the filthy, frightened, half-starved animals that the Montana police discovered in that urine-soaked truck six months ago.
As much as I hated to see these sweet dogs restricted to pens for so many hours in a day, they are clearly happier here than they were on that hellish trip across country, when the Montana police found them, sick and dehydrated, their beautiful fur caked with waste, after nine days of nearly airless confinement.
Collies are among the most sensitive of all breeds: they have an intuitive–at times uncanny–understanding of a human’s emotional state. This makes the crimes committed against them all the more heinous and horrible. Here in Montana, I knew the volunteers were taking really good care of them. But I suspected that all of these dogs had dreams of prancing majestically through a show ring–or maybe just walking down Main Street–in the company of someone who loved them.
On my last day I had just two hours in the morning to say goodbye to everyone. I wouldn’t have any more private time with my attentive audience–my adoring furry fan club–where I could send them mental pictures of a happy ending to their ordeal. It was heart-wrenching for me to leave them behind.
After saying goodbye to the other volunteers, I took Number 82 Collie out for one last walk around the field. For the first time, he would not willingly return to his pen–he had to be carried in.
Could he possibly have felt how sad I was to be leaving, or seen in my mind the subconscious pictures of my getting on a plane and going away? On the off-chance that it was possible, I gave him one long-lasting hug and a big kiss on his silky head. Then I closed my eyes and concentrated as hard as I could: I pictured him romping through a big fenced-in yard in California. When I said goodbye, I could almost swear I saw a glint of understanding in his eye as he rewarded me with a big Collie smile.
Thank you Andrea, and thank you all for your continued support of this rescue mission.
Calmly,
Jean Levitt, President AWCA
Lisa King, AWCA Director AWCA Rescue
Officers and Members of AWCA
If you would like to assist AWCA with this rescue effort, you may send a check to:
Bethany Burke
AWCA Treasurer
2807 Lee Trevino Court
Shalimar, FL 32579
Make the check out to AWCA and in the memo area note: collie rescue-medical, collie rescue-stainless steel, or collie rescue-general.