As soon as she was picked up, Moxy had a special place in the hearts of the staff at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter.
The young female pooch was discovered on Jim Elliott Road last week severely underweight.
“She was in a heart-breaking condition,” Shannon Posada, shelter director, said Thursday. “It was evident she had been running around without water and food for several days. She was in a very severe condition.”
With Moxy going through a rough time, the shelter was able to get in contact with a resident that is part of the Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Foster program.
“We were able to get in touch with a foster that Brother Wolf has in the community,” Posada said. “We knew it would be better for Moxy. She would be able to receive one-on-one care, and there wouldn’t be a risk of possibly picking up a disease due to her condition and being around other animals.
Since then, a crowdsourcing initiative to cover the costs of Moxy’s care surpassed expectations with over $600 being raised for the anticipated $400 worth of medical expenses.
“It’s great to see she’s in such a better condition,” Posada said. “She deserves every chance of finding a loving home.”
Due to an investigative audit underway by the Tennessee State Comptroller’s Office, the shelter was able to work alongside Brother Wolf to provide fostering and volunteer efforts for citizens looking to contribute to the care of local animals.
“Brother Wolf is always in search of fosters and volunteers,” Posada said. “They’ve been a tremendous help for the shelter. They’ve made trips down here, and we’ve been able to talk with them in Asheville. They provide such a great resource.”
Individuals can visit www.bwar.org/foster or call 828-505-3440 to learn more about fostering opportunities in Carter County.
But the condition of Moxy highlights a trend of animals that either run stray from their owners or suffer through abusive conditions in Northeast Tennessee.
“There was another dog that was reportedly running alongside Moxy but was unable to be found,” Posada said.
The state of the local animals is something the shelter is looking to improve moving forward. To go along with the partnerships like Brother Wolf, Posada added that discussions have been ongoing about upping the penalties for individuals that abuse animals.
“If there is a time you suspect an animal of being abused or think there is a severe case of abuse, I would encourage someone to either call the shelter or local law enforcement,” Posada said.
But following up the lightening news of Moxy’s improvements, Posada added the shelter’s no-charge adoption this week has been a “tremendous success.”
Thanks to sponsorship provided by Mike Barnett and Dallas Knight, fees for animals were waived.
“As of yesterday, we have adopted out 96 animals,” Posada said. “We had a lot of people come in and say that because they didn’t have to pay the adoption fee, they used the money to stock up on food, treats, and other items. We actually had a lot of people come in with carriers that they had already purchased. It’s been such a great thing to see these animals find their forever homes.”