Sometimes there are unprecedented acts of cruelty in the world that can’t be understood or explained. Such is the case for neglected dog rescued last month in Santa Maria.
Left for dead on the steps of the county animal shelter in Santa Maria on Nov. 4, the dog named Charity was skin and bones, hairless, with long nails and a foul-smelling discharge oozing from large open sores on her body.
Arroyo Grande resident Tami Hurley was filling in for another shelter volunteer that day. She ran into an off-duty animal control officer who discovered Charity when he returned to the shelter to get something from his truck.
The officer told Hurley to take a look at the abandoned dog.
“I was overwhelmed; I cried when I saw her,” Hurley said. “It was very profound.”
Hurley, who’s on the board of directors for the Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation (SBCAF), said she’s seen a lot of downtrodden animals at the shelter, but Charity was by far the worst case. She said it was a “confluence of the universe” that she was there that day. Where Charity came from and who harmed her remains unknown.
Hurley called Charity “one lucky dog” in the sense that she survived. Charity’s vital organs are in good condition, and she’s relatively healthy, all things considered. However, Hurley said the dog does have a systemic yeast infection from malnutrition and could possibly permanently be put on antifungals. Charity is missing some teeth and might have some immune system-related issues.
But she has made some progress.
“Weight gain has been slow, [and] she is growing back fuzz on certain parts of her body,” Hurley said.
Stacy Silva, community outreach coordinator for SBCAF, said their best guess is that Charity is a 9-year-old German Shepard. Hurley said recovery could take eight to 10 months for the dog.
Santa Barbara County Animal Services is required to take in strays at its three shelters in Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara, which are already full with neglected and abandoned dogs.
Charity presented a unique case for SBCAF and Animal Services. Because of Charity’s dire state and need for longterm care, it’s highly unlikely she’ll be a candidate for adoption. So Hurley knew she had to do something.
After speaking with Linda Greco, president of SBCAF, and the Santa Maria shelter, Hurley opted to do something unprecedented.
“I decided to adopt her with the foundation as a support system,” she said. “Charity will live with me for as long as she wants.”
Charity stays with Hurley on her remote property in Arroyo Grande. Hurley said the dog is getting lots of baths, and is on a special diet that includes supplements to help with nutrition.
Hurley admitted in an interview with the Sun that she sometimes still gets angry when she looks at Charity. She said that whoever did this must “be a broken and sick person,” but she believes “karma will take care of it.”
While Charity’s rescue and survival are heartwarming, the most amazing part of her story comes from the students of the Santa Maria Bonita School District. Take, for instance, Kathryn Christie’s sixth grade class at Alvin Elementary School. When Christie showed her students the newspaper with Charity’s story, they decided to do something.
“It was so sad to see her like that,” one student said.
“No one has to have a pet,” another added.
Together Christie and her class decided to fundraise for Charity and set a goal of $500. The class raised $140 in two hours at the YMCA, and doubled its goal of $500 in two days. Wanting to help even more, the students began making personal sacrifices.
“They decided as a class to donate their yearbook money to Charity,” Christie said. The class also donated spare change to the fund and recieved checks from as far away as Georgia.
Christie decided to take advantage of this situation and teach her class some valuable life lessons.
“I wanted them to see the generosity of people and care about something bigger than themselves,” Christie said. “It shows the city of Santa Maria does care a lot.”
Her students said they’ve learned to appreciate that animals don’t take care of themselves.
Across town, at Battles Elementary School, teacher Margaretanne Andrade remembers reading the article about Charity.
“My heart felt like it was being squeezed; I felt like it was a perfect teaching moment for the students at Battles,” she said.
With that in mind, she organized a schoolwide raffle to raise money. The students collected donations for a week and rasied $200 to give to Charity.
Andrade said Charity’s story is a lesson of compassion and that she hopes the students will become responsible pet owners.
“I wanted students to be aware of how we should treat animals, as well as teach them that animals depend on us to take care of them,” Andrade said.
Hurley also shared that Santa Barbara County 4-H group La Graciosa donated $100 from their Thanksgiving fundraiser to Charity. She said she’s been overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support for the dog. SBCAF Outreach Coordinator Silva echoed Hurley’s thoughts.
“Charity’s story is so unique, but it shows iniative and selflessness; that’s what the future is about,” Silva said. “The kids are truly impressive and admirable.”
Not counting the money from the schools, upward of $10,000 has been raised for Charity and her required treatments. With a large surplus of funds, Hurley helped create “Charity’s Charity.”
“This will fund other special-needs cases like Charity and help put them into adoptable condition,” Hurley said. “We can save more lives.”
While Charity has a long way to go, Hurley said her spirit isn’t broken—her eyes are brighter, she moves around more, and she’s a friendly dog. Although there’s no telling how long Charity will be around, Hurley is focuing on the beauty of what the dog has brought to the community as a teacher, healer, and mentor.
“Charity is serving a much higher purpose; she’s struck a nerve and shown people they can make a difference,” Hurley said. “I know she’s supposed to be here.”
Contact Staff writer Kristina Sewell at ksewell@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 20-27, 2012.