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West Newsmagazine
is West St. Louis County's exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper. |
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| West Newsmagazine News |
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Rescue organization gives struggling pups a fighting chance at lifeBy Diane Plattner
 An Ellisville animal rescue organization that is in its first months of operation already has helped dozens of pups recover from serious situations from which they likely otherwise would have died.
Coco, a chow mix, is one of the lucky dogs Mostly Mutts rescued. Ellisville-based Mostly Mutts specializes in rescuing puppies under 6 weeks old, pregnant moms and moms with puppies who have not been weaned. “Coco came to us with plastic bags burned to her skin and her tail broken or cut off," Mostly Mutts Director Kelly Pavlack said. “When you went to pick her up and pet her, she would try to melt in the back of the kennel and wouldn't come near you. She also had a green runny nose and a horrible cough." Pavlack said an animal control official had said Coco's days were numbered because the dog was sick and anti-social. That was before Mostly Mutts rescued Coco, who now is social, loves kids and other dogs, and is starting to "talk" when she wants someone's attention, Pavlack said. "It's amazing how far she's come," Pavlack said. Pavlack said Lucy, another puppy, had been covered in thousands of seed ticks, which made her sick. In addition, she said Lucy had been in a fire that burned her ears and back and had infected stitches from a spay operation still embedded in her belly. "She was so scared," Pavlack said. "My daughter was the only one who could reach her." Pavlack said it took more than two months to bring Lucy around people other than her family. Even in private appointments, Lucy would stay by Pavlack's legs, she said. "Finally, an older lady and her mentally-challenged daughter came to see her," Pavlack said. "Lucy went over to her daughter and jumped in her lap. I knew that was her way of telling me these are my people, Mom, and it's OK. I really think the pups pick their owners most days. Lucy's owners are amazing people and she is so happy with them. They come and visit us at the PetSmart adoption events some days. I cry every time I see them and see how happy she is." Pavlack said Mostly Mutts began in August after she discovered that some shelters were euthanizing puppies because of a lack of resources to care for the animals. "It is tough to keep these babies alive with the odds stacked against them," Pavlack said. "But we feel like they deserve a chance." She said kids are another crucial element to her rescue operation's success. "Most of the time, the 'older' babies are so scared," Pavlack said. "They remember not being taken care of or abused and it's the kids in the rescue who can reach them and draw them out of their shell." Pavlack said that unfortunately, not every rescued dog has a happy ending. "We take care of the deathly ill pups until they get better or go to a better place," Pavlack said. "It's a horrible reality of the puppy rescue but one we face on a regular basis." Pavlack said none of the rescued puppies are adoptable before they are 8 weeks old and they each must be spayed/neutered prior to or within 15 days of adoption. She said she knows the location of each of the nearly 270 puppies adopted and in her rescue. "I explain to the new owners these are my babies," Pavlack said. "I allow you to pay an adoption fee to help other puppies and give them a home and pay for them, but they are still my babies. It amazes me that even after a few months at their new homes, our babies remember us." Pavlack said Mostly Mutts always is looking for donations of puppy equipment, pens, crates, blankets, towels, newspapers, financial donations as well as loving families to foster or provide a forever home for the pups. "I would love to not have to do the job we do," Pavlack said. "It is the most rewarding job in the world but also the most heartbreaking at times. If pet owners were more responsible and spayed and neutered their animals, there wouldn't be a need for rescue groups like ours." For more information or to assist the group, contact Pavlack at (314) 607-5852 or mostlymuttsrescue@gmail.com, or visit mostlymutts.net.
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