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A City Dogs Rescue Story: Kacey the Brave

3/25/2015

Karen, Sage, and Kacey Photography Courtesy of Hannele Lahti (adogphotographer.com)

Everyone who follows City Dogs Rescue knows that it can be agonizing day after day to see the urgent cries for help. Time and again our supporters make it possible for us to save deserving souls. Kacey is one of those dogs.

(Original Facebook post)

Kacey was going to be euthanized on January 27 because she was a senior beagle (approximately 10+) in an overcrowded shelter showing signs of costly health problems (lumps). She didn’t even have a name. We knew her chances were slim but our donors came forward to help us fund her rescue. Karen Johnson sponsored Kacey's rescue. We also requested someone to be a foster for her. Our volunteer fosters go above and beyond, but it takes an even more extraordinary person to step up for a dog without any history or background information and say “I’ll help”. Karen raised her hand to provide a loving home for Kacey not knowing how long it would be for or what it would entail. The good vets at Smyth County Animal Hospital took good care of her for us until she was ready to come to DC.

Kacey has been in out of the vet and her prognosis is not good and there’s not much we can do. In the meantime, Karen and her family (husband Sage, furbabies Tahoe and CDR alumna Fiona) are making her as comfortable as possible and documenting her days with them. She has been diagnosed with two types of cancer: mammary carcinoma and a mast cell tumor. The oncology specialists said they cannot cure her cancer but we are doing all we can to keep her pain at a minimum. Cancer is not easy with dogs or people. At this time, we want her to live in a stable, comfortable place and Karen has committed to being her hospice home. We will not be placing her up for adoption as she is in her forever home now.

Karen says, “Her cough is the worst at night but the cough medicine is helping. She is still very active. She loves to eat and run through our yard. She and our other two dogs seem to be acclimating well and Kacey is learning to play. She currently only likes my socks and my husbands firewood gloves.” She remarked how brave Kacey is and assured us that the rest of her life will be grand. Thanks to everyone who has made it possible to make Kacey’s last days with us love-filled with Karen, Sage, Fiona and Tahoe sharing all that's good in life with her.

Photography Courtesy of Hannele Lahti (adogphotographer.com)

Photography Courtesy of Hannele Lahti (adogphotographer.com)

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It’s a bird! ... It’s a plane! ... It’s a Mariner?!

3/4/2015

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By Kirsten Allen

Posted: February 24, 2015

The Maritime Administration prides itself on the abundance of mariners at the agency, both active and retired, who are dedicated to improving the transportation network. However, for some, like Scott Davies, their work in transportation extends beyond our nation’s waterways.

When Scott, a naval reservist and MARAD’s Acting Director for the Office of Marine Highways, is not ensuring the safe and efficient movement of freight across our inland waterways, he is transporting puppies across our skies.

Working with City Dogs Rescue (CDR), a local Washington, DC volunteer-led organization, Scott, who earned his pilot’s license in 2013, flies adoptable dogs from overcrowded shelters where resources are severely limited to people who are looking for a new four-legged family member.

Posing with Roane County Animal Shelter volunteers at Boggs Field in Spencer, West Virginia.

“When I first got involved with the organization, I was transporting dogs by car,” said Scott. “Driving over six hours one way, usually on a weeknight, can be quite exhausting. So I found a smarter way to contribute and do what I love.”

Raised along the Florida coastline and a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy, a career in maritime was a given for Scott. However, his passion also lied in aviation – living just south of the Kennedy Space Center, he would always watch shuttle launches.

Most recently, Scott was joined by Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen, a retired nuclear submarine captain and also a licensed pilot, as they took to the skies to rescue four dogs, bringing them to new lives with adoptive families in the Washington, DC region.

Departing from Tipton Airport near Fort Meade, Md., Scott and Administrator Jaenichen flew to West Virginia, where they were met by volunteers from the Roane County Animal Shelter. Once the dogs were safely onboard, they quickly settled down, safe in the knowledge that a better life with loving families awaited them back in DC.

“My favorite part of it all is landing back at the airport and watching the families meet up with the dogs,” said Scott. “We deliver them right there on the ramp and both volunteers and adoptive families are ecstatic about seeing these dogs head to a new home.”

This trip marked the twelfth such flight that Scott has performed for CDR, which was founded in September 2011 to rescue adoptable dogs in overcrowded and high-kill rural shelters. Many of the dogs in these shelters are often just days away from being euthanized.

Rescue flights to rural areas provide CDR and their partner shelters with easy access to transports. These partnerships, coupled with a network of over 300 volunteers, have allowed CDR to save over 1,200 dogs to date.

Rescued pups rest, knowing a better life awaits.

Helping load dogs for the Rescue Flight.

First rescue flight from Elizabethtown, North Carolina.

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A City Dogs Rescue Story: Kacey the Brave

It’s a bird! ... It’s a plane! ... It’s a Mariner?!

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