Hounds abandoned and left to live on their own for four years in Alabama!  Now re-tamed and ready to go to a forever loving home in Arizona

Updated 2011 Mar 31 -- Rescue Accomplished!

This was one of the happiest surprises and experiences ever.  These two 'wild' hounds figured out immediately that this was all love and all for them, and went from wary to the most affectionate, responsive, grateful and eager dogs we've ever met.  After a six-hour car ride from Birmingham, they arrived in New Orleans mid-afternoon Thursday.  We were prepared for an arduous day and night before the flight, thinking that these dogs might want to escape at every chance and might kill the first cat or rabbit or ?? they saw.  Not what we found!  They were obedient and quickly relaxed with us, and within two hours of having them in the car and at home with us, we realized that far from unruly and vicious, these dogs were extraordinarily intelligent, strong, affectionate, and eager to be part of a pack -- our pack!  They stuck to us like glue, warmed up and became total lovebugs, were polite to the max when we gave them food and water, and won our hearts so completely that we cried like parents watching their children go off to college when we had to leave them with their new humans in Payson Thursday night! If we both did not have dogs of our own already that needed full attention, these precious hounds would have had a home with us forever.  The sanctuary "Tara's Babies" who received them from us in Arizona will adopt them out  -- so if you're interested, drop them a line!  Here are photos and video from before the flight, and photos from the flight and delivery in Payson Thursday night.

Enjoy a video taken before the flight with Bonny, Momma & Duke, and see just how wild and vicious these hounds are!

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Updated 2011 Mar 25

A group of stray hounds has accumulated not far from the airport in Birmingham, Alabama over the past four years, mostly from people dumping them.  They have lived almost completely on their own.  For the past several years, a kind local resident has been befriending the females, collecting their puppies and finding them homes.  She was able to bond closely enough with one of the females -- "Ol' Momma" -- to catch her and have her spayed.  Ol' Momma is 30-35 lb, an 8-year-old lab/hound mix.  A couple of years ago Ol' Momma gained a close companion, a now-neutered mature male lab/shepherd mix, about 60 lb -- "Ol' Duke."

Recently, Animal Control has begun trying to catch the dogs, so far without success.   This resident tamed Ol' Momma and Ol' Duke enough that she was able to bring them home to stay with her, and they have now become accustomed to indoor life and quite sociable. Unfortunately, not long ago they escaped and chased a cat, causing some repairable but expensive harm.  Nobody was permanently hurt, but it's clear that the forever home for these two hounds would be better off not including felines.  A sanctuary in northern  Arizona has offered to love and take care of Ol' Momma and Ol' Duke for the rest of their lives.  They just need a ride from Alabama to Arizona!

On Wings Of Care will fly Ol' Momma and Ol' Duke to northern Arizona (Payson airport or a private airstrip northeast of there) on March 27.  Since we'll be flying back from the Gulf anyway, it will take us only four to five hours out of our way to take these dears to their sanctuary. We also have to board them in New Orleans one night, and we'll have one overnight stop enroute back to CA due to this diversion.   Our additional expenses to do all of this will run around $600.  We'll make this rescue no matter what donations we receive, as is our usual procedure once we've committed to a rescue.  But help from donors is the only way we can continue to provide these services.  We have a pledge of $200 so far from Tara's Babies in Arizona.  If  you would like to help, please use PayPal or send us a donation, and state that you would like funds to go to help the two hounds from Alabama.