Extra Mile Fund
Many animals like Dani come to us with extraordinary needs. We created the Extra Mile Fund to help us serve these neediest animals. The Extra Mile Fund can only continue to do the life-saving work it does by being replenished with generous donations from our community. Consider donating to the Extra Mile Fund or make an ongoing contribution. These funds help make critical decisions easier by eliminating financial barriers.
Going the Extra-Mile for Sugar
Sugar’s entrance into Larry Gurley’s life was memorable. She appeared at his workplace on the 4th of July, in need of a little TLC. “I heard a faint meow, so I walked around the building, and then this little kitten approached…As I lifted her into my arms, she started purring.” Larry quickly discovered the kitten’s left rear leg was bowed and appeared to be painful. His wife Maggie called the shelter, and a plan was made to bring Sugar in to be medically assessed. Having already grown attached, the Gurleys were grateful our team would keep them updated. The social tabby was promptly examined by Dr. Fankhauser, a.k.a.
Dr. Jeff, who determined her leg was broken and performed an orthopedic surgery. Though her prognosis was good, Sugar would need time to recover in a foster home, so Dr. Jeff took her home himself! A month later, Sugar was ready to be adopted! Accustomed to cats in pairs, Larry and Maggie decided Sugar should have a playmate. Today, Sugar enjoys life at the center of her parents’ world, alongside her brother Tommy. The Gurley family is grateful for the expertise and dedication of our shelter team and the compassionate community that made Sugar’s journey possible.
Going the Extra-Mile for Sealfly
When the announcement “Sealfly is going home” came over the intercom at Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, a cheer was heard throughout the building. Sealfly had been with us for almost 5 months and long enough for staff and volunteers to get to know this special kitten who had been through so much.
Arriving at the shelter in early December, the good Samaritan who brought him in had seen this young kitten chucked out of a car and coaxed him with a can of tuna to retrieve him. Sealfly may have been discarded due to his condition known as eyelid agenesis, a congenital disorder in which the eyelid doesn’t form properly during development within the womb. It was immediately apparent that he would need surgery to correct this serious and painful deformity of both eyelids.
After two corrective surgeries at Ophthalmology for Animals in Aptos, Sealfly went into a foster home to recuperate. We weren’t sure how much his vision would be impacted until he healed properly. Sealfly will always have abnormal eyelids and eyes and his vision is impaired but that doesn’t slow him down. Sealfly turned out to be a high energy and smart cat once he was feeling better and reports from the foster home gave us good information the special character of this kitten. His foster dad reported that Sealfly is a playful and impulsive, good natured fellow. He did great with the resident cat, chasing and wrestling with fur flying. He enjoyed playing with balls and toys that make noise and would entertain himself for hours.
Sealfly was brought back to the shelter and put up for adoption. Black cats are often harder to adopt and Sealfly was no exception. With the additional disadvantage of having abnormal looking eyes, he lingered at the shelter. During this time, he became a favorite of the staff and volunteers and they made sure that Sealfly was getting the attention and playtime he needed.
Sometimes it just takes that one special person to notice a cat like Sealfly and take the time to get to know them. After visiting with Sealfly a couple of times, the adopters decided it was the right fit for their home and took a chance. Sealfly has now left the building. We wish his adopters a long and happy life together.
Sealfly’s story has a happy ending; he got a second chance at a better life after coming to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. Your support can give other deserving animals a second chance and a happy ending to their story.
Going the Extra-Mile for Daisy
“Eyes are the window to the soul.” We see a lot of animals coming into the shelter every day. But there are those whose eyes just tell you – I’m special. This was the case with Daisy.
Daisy is a mix of possibly Labrador and Basset, which is unique and somewhat comical. When she arrived she was covered in ticks, her skin was badly infected from an untreated flea allergy, and she was very overweight. She was surrendered after her owner reconginzed that they were unable to care for her.
Coming to the shelter was traumatic for her and the kennel environment caused her to shut down. But staff and volunteers always saw a glimmer of hopefulness in her eyes. She was extremely tolerant of handling and seemed to enjoy being close and comforted by human touch. Daisy is a very sensitive girl and as she adjusted to being here, we noticed that she was happiest when out in the play yards. It was decided that a foster home would be best option for her emotionally and would give her the extra care to heal her skin condition.
She went home with a staff member who was smitten with this girl and the rest is history. Daisy’s adopter has this to say about how she has adjusted into their family…
“Daisy-do is doing fantastic. She has come a long way from when she first entered the shelter. She is still adjusting to life with a few feline friends and strangers but has absolutely flourished with a consistent, day to day routine, excellent medical care, and all of the love, pets, and snuggles she wants.
Daisy loves to go hiking in the forest. She goes exploring every day and romps up the hill excitedly knowing exactly where she is going. Soooo many sniffs and things that fly and scamper in the forest brush. It’s the perfect place for her to explore and be free and unafraid.
Daisy has definitely been a welcome addition to our family. We all have lots of learning to do about each other but every day there is success and new skills practiced and achieved. Most of all there love, patience and understanding and when you have that, the world is your kong.”
Going the Extra-Mile for Scruggs
Puppies are fun, energetic, and a ton of work… so imagine how hard it might be for a puppy to have a badly broken femur bone? Scruggs came to us when he was about three months old with just that. What caused the broken bone is a bit of a mystery, but he was brought in by some folks who heard him squealing and dragging his legs. With no road rash, the shelter suspected it might have been a kick or fall, but we will never know the full story. Because Scruggs bit the people who brought him in on the pinky when they picked him up, he had to go into quarantine. Despite his pain, Scruggs found a way to play in his kennel… and play hard for a broken-legged pup- tossing toys in the air and running in what little space he had! Our shelter veterinarian felt confident that he had the spunk and zest to pull through and the good temperament to be an awesome companion. So, she found a willing foster family with one of the shelter staff to help Scruggs get through his months of recovery.
With Extra-Mile funds, Scruggs went through a long surgery to reset the bone and place a pin in the leg at Soquel Animal Hospital. His foster family worked hard at keeping him as restful as they could, coming up with all kinds of restful enrichment. They enlisted a lot of help from our Behavior and Training Coordinator, Carla Braden, and Mardi Richmond of Good Dog Santa Cruz on how to make sure this pup got proper socialization and enrichment despite the limiting exercise restrictions.
We are happy to share that not only did Scruggs survive two months of crate rest, but his leg fully recovered, and he can now run around like the rat-terrier mix he is. The other silver lining is that Scruggs found his forever home with his foster family, who weren’t quite in the market for a puppy but couldn’t resist this awesome pup. Here is what his new adopters say:
“Scruggs is the best dog. He is incredibly resilient and has overcome so much in his first few months of life. Every day he inspires us to quit whining and play! Scruggs is doing awesome and loves to fetch, tear up paper, dig, and get belly rubs. He can even jump on the furniture now! We are so grateful that SCCAS gave this little injured pup a second chance, we adore him.”
Going the Extra-Mile for Peanut
Here at the shelter, we see resilient animals every day. But Peanut’s story is particularly heartening. Peanut was brought in by a Good Samaritan who found him and brought him into the shelter for care. He had several impact wounds on his face and a broken jaw. The shelter immediately took the dog to our clinic for an examination and immediate care.
After wounds were cleaned and stitched and the clinic administered medication for pain and infection management, the vet staff arranged for x-rays and surgery with an orthopedic surgeon at Santa Cruz Vet Hospital.
Peanut is recovering well and is being fostered by one of our clinic staff. With lots of love and care, he is doing great. His foster mom says “he is on cage rest for 4-6 weeks (1 week down) and eating wet food mixed with soaked kibble. He is very talkative when he wants something and is a super happy boy who just wants to cuddle or play.”
Peanut’s story is a testament to how important it is to our shelter to ensure that every animal gets a second chance, no matter the cost. Our Extra-Mile fund, which is fully funded through private donations, allows us to respond to our county’s neediest animals without thinking twice. Peanut’s surgery cost $3,500 and the next animal in need could come through our door any hour. Please consider helping us to replenish our Extra-Mile fund and donate today.
Yui's Story
Yui, came to us the first week of December. An emergency call to Animal Control for pickup of an injured, stray dog sent an officer out to bring her in. Yui, a large, black female Great Dane arrived in very bad shape with multiple deep lacerations and wounds to both front legs and head, as well as being far too thin, and with both ears painful and full of debris. We didn’t know what had happened to this poor girl but our team jumped into action.
She was immediately taken into our clinic where staff veterinarian and techs went to work to ease her suffering and treat her open wounds. She received pain medication, antibiotics and daily treatments to get her on the path to wellness, but her physical trauma wasn’t the only part of her that needed to be healed. Our Animal Care Supervisor brought Yui into her office to hang out and help with emotional needs of recovery and rest. Yui would take long naps and a bond was created between her and our staff.
Yui’s wounds were severe and recovery was going to take a number of weeks so she went into foster with our Animal Care Supervisor. Who better to take care of her continued treatments of medication, rinsing of wounds, and the healing power of love.
Once on the road to full recovery, Yui was transferred to another foster home where she physically healed. From day one, Yui’s spirit was bright and she was cooperative and accepting with staff and the treatments she received. She became a favorite with everyone.
Thanks to the joint efforts of Animal Control, Clinic Staff, Animal Care Staff, Client Services and our foster homes, Yui’s story has a happy ending. She is now in her permanent and loving home and we couldn’t be happier for her.
