Alaqua Rescues Cats and Dogs In Liberty County, Florida
In Liberty County, Florida, the population is 8,365. It the least populous county in Florida and one of the poorest counties in the state. There is no animal control, no resources for animals, and the Sheriff’s Department does their best to help when they can.
Over the weekend, a man was found deceased in his feces ridden, dilapidated trailer where he lived with 26 cats and two dogs. The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office reached out to Alaqua Animal Refuge for assistance and our team traveled to Bristol, Florida to rescue the animals.
Upon arrival we found two dogs living in filthy, make-shift pens with only pools of green slime and mosquito filled water to drink, and no shelter from the elements. The large dog’s movement was confined by a chain and his body was scarred and very frail. The small dog was in a similar pen and his eyes pleaded for help.
The Alaqua team entered the trailer by homemade stairs and had to take a step back from the horrible smell of ammonia and feces. The cats were segmented into rooms and the first ones we saw were two tiny newborns lying on a bed and their scared mom crouched in a corner. The other rooms were filled with cats, but holes in the floors and walls allowed them pathways to travel. Some cats were too sick to avoid capture and the wilder ones put up quite a fight.
After hours of hard work in sweltering heat, we had all the animals loaded up and headed back to the Refuge where the real work began. Our staff worked well after the Refuge closed and finished the medical intake and evaluations on all the animals, allowing them to settle in on soft beds, being flea-free, and with their stomachs full.
Days like this seem to be the “new normal” at
Alaqua, unfortunately. We wish we didn’t have to see these days, but we know that the future of animals like these is bleak without us. It will cost us thousands of dollars to bring these animals to a point of being medically and emotionally ready for adoption. But this is our mission and our purpose.
There is a special fund for the care of these animals. Please consider helping. We count on your support to continue our important work.
