INGRID SHEA MURPHY-KENNY credits her adopted Goldendoodle “Fitzy” with helping her rebuild her life after medical complications resulted in severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
DIESEL IS A Percheron gelding who came to the Adopt-a-Horse Program of the Clark County Executive Horse Council 600 pounds underweight and with his eye seeping from a ruptured tumor in his eyelid. He received eye surgery and many months of boarding and training before he was healthy and ready for his new adopted home.
Ingrid Shea Murphy-Kenny was only 35 years old when she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Her choices weren’t the kind you usually have to make when you are on the young side of mid-life – whether to have a heart transplant, what kind of pacemaker to select, how to balance a complex cocktail of medications.
Murphy-Kenny was healing and moving forward with her life when she learned that her first internal pacemaker had been recalled. Before she could make it to surgery for a replacement the pacemaker malfunctioned, delivering 35 heart-stunning jolts within 30 minutes. Her body survived, but her mind was reeling. The episode caused post-traumatic stress disorder which left her unable to even leave her home.
It was after a counselor suggested a therapy animal that Murphy-Kenny’s life started to change for the better. She met Fitzy, a pale yellow “Goldendoodle” puppy with a curly mop of hair, at Second Chance Companions animal rescue in Battle Ground.
“I didn’t save her, she saved me,” says Murphy-Kenny.
She and Fitzy have passed the required four classes for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) award, and Fitzy is well on her way to becoming a certified companion dog for Murphy-Kenny.
Thanks to Fitzy, Murphy-Kenny has a fresh chance at life. She is now busy with her Mediterranean food truck business, Ingrid’s Good Street Food, where she sells heart-healthy food around Vancouver and remembers what got her there. Every jar of her special recipe “rub” generates a one dollar donation to the American Heart Association. And she will soon be selling Healthy Dog treats, she says, “to honor my sweet Fitzy and her amazing contribution to my life, giving me the ability to have even created a heart-healthy food truck to begin with.”
Second Chance Companions (SCC) has offered humane, no-kill shelter for dogs and cats in Southwest Washington for over 20 years. They started out as a group of animal lovers who just wanted to make a difference. Now they provide adoption for over 100 dogs and 200 cats and low cost spay and neuter for 700 animals each year. In addition, they partner with Meals on Wheels and the Clark County Food Bank to provide “AniMeals,” pet meals for low income individuals and families, so people don’t have to choose between feeding themselves or their pets.
It wasn’t by chance that Murphy-Kenny went home with a dog who was just right for her. SCC makes sure that every adopted pet is a good fit for their new household. All sheltered animals are cared for in foster homes, where they receive the good food, love and training they need to prepare them for adoption.
Many animals at risk in Clark County find a safe place to land thanks to a network of private and nonprofit animal shelters. NW Love All Animal Rescue reflects founder Tracy Nichols’ lifelong passion for helping animals. NW Love is the only shelter in Clark County that accepts every species except wildlife, which requires special permits. She has provided respite for exotic animals such as birds and reptiles, and rodents like hamsters and gerbils. She houses goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, chickens, ducks, and roosters. She often has over 100 animals in care at one time waiting for adoption.
Large animals who need assistance can be the hardest to serve, since they have such big requirements for housing and food. The county’s animal control officers used to face a challenge when horses were abused or neglected; they were not trained to handle horses, had no way to transport them, and had no place to house them. This meant that neglected or starving horses were left to suffer for lack of services.
The Adopt-a-Horse Program of the Clark County Executive Horse Council (CCEHC) was started seven years ago to provide a solution. The program provides transportation, foster care, and adoption screening for horses who are taken into custody by the county. All funding for the program comes from private donations and grants, a common scenario for animal rescue organizations.
Through the Ripley’s Horse Aid Program, CCEHC also maintains an emergency hay bank and offers assistance with euthanization expenses. These services are available through vouchers distributed by Clark County Animal Control, giving officers essential tools to help struggling horse owners.
Donations of money, pet food, foster care, and animal care chores are universal needs for animal rescues, providing ample opportunity to lend a hand. And the animal who will transform your life might be waiting for you at a local animal shelter.
