Dracut teen volunteer's mission is to find ...A Home for HarryBy HEIDI SMITH, Sun StaffArticle Last Updated:11/14/2006 06:15:16 PM EST
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Kristen Sadkowski, 16, of Dracut, shares a moment with a tree-walking coonhound that she and folks at Wignall Animal Hospital have taken to calling Harry the Hound. Kristen has made it her mission to find a home for Harry, or he could be euthanized next week. In back is Keri Demers of Pets In Need. SUN/DAVID H. BROW
DRACUT -- Sixteen-year-old Kristen Sadkowski is on a desperate mission to save a dog's life.
The clock is ticking for Harry, a playful 1-year-old tree-walking coonhound who was found wandering the streets of Dracut in June.
"It just breaks my heart, the thought that we might have to put him down," said Sadkowski, a volunteer for the Dracut-based animal rescue, Pets In Need.
During the past several months, Harry has been shuffled between the Dracut Dog Pound and various foster homes.
The Dracut Dog Pound can only keep stray animals for 10 days before passing them on to either Keri Demers, founder of Pets In Need, one of her foster pet families or the Lowell Humane Society.
Because rescuers have been unable to place Harry in a home, all of the temporary resources have been exhausted.
"If we don't find him a permanent family or foster home by Nov. 21, he will be euthanized," Demers said.
For now, Harry is making himself at home with Sadkowski and her family, but it is only a temporary solution.
The Sadkowskis already have two dogs of their own, and "Harry doesn't get along with them.""Harry's really a wonderful dog, and I would love more than anything to take him myself if my mom would let me,"
Keri Demers, left, of Dracut-based Pets In Need, and volunteer Kristen Sadkowski, a Dracut High School junior, play with Harry, a dog that they are trying to find a home for before he is put to sleep next week. SUN/DAVID H. BROW
"We've called or e-mailed everyone we know, and we are just running out of time," said Demers. "Everyone is full or cannot accommodate his needs."
Since Harry requires a lot of attention and doesn't always play well with other dogs, the search for a permanent home has been a challenge.
"He nips a bit because he wasn't taught any manners, so he would do better in a home with kids over 16," said Demers.
At 31, Demers' life revolved around the well-being of animals, whether it is her own three cats and dog or the hundreds of animals she has helped to place into homes over the last nine years.
She works full time as a receptionist at a local animal hospital and came up with the idea of starting her own business to help alleviate the problem with overpopulation of stray animals at the Humane Society and avoid situations like the one Harry is in. Pets In Need finds homes for about 80 animals a year.
"The animal rescue creates another avenue for animals to be adopted before going to the Humane Society," said Demers, who runs Pets In Need by phone and e-mail. "It helps to relieve some of the burden from the shelters and gives the animals a better chance of finding a loving home."
Overpopulation at shelters can lead to euthanization of animals, something that Pets In Need has not had to consider until this point.
"When shelters have no other solution and no place for the animals to go, they end up putting them down a lot of times," said Demers. "They can only hold on to animals for a certain amount of time."
Harry would be the first animal euthanized by the Pets In Need.
"If I put Harry into another shelter facility, he may have a chance to live slightly longer, but it's unlikely that they'll be able to place him anyway," said Demers. "It sounds terrible to say, but I'd rather see Harry go with people he knows and loves than strangers."
Demers and Sadkowski are keeping their fingers crossed for Harry to have a happy Thanksgiving.
"With a little work, we believe Harry would make a great family pet," Sadkowski said. Please just give him a chance."
To adopt a dog from Pets In Need, there is a minimal fee ranging from $165 to $200, depending on the breed of dog and any extensive care; the cost includes vaccines, heartworm test and a spay or neuter. The fee for cats or kittens is $125.
"We never have enough foster homes to facilitate all of the animals," said Demers. "Anyone interested can call or e-mail me."
For more information on volunteering or to adopt a pet, visit the Pets in Need Web site at http://petsinneed.978.org, call Keri Demers at (978) 337-0773 or e-mail petsinneed@animal-adoptions.org.
Heidi Smith's e-mail is hsmith@lowellsun.com.
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