“Happy Tails”
Animal Advocates of Pearl River County
By Lisa Cipriani, Vice President, AAPRC
f you’ve ever had your
heart sink at the sight
of a stray dog on the
side of the road, or
passed a yard with a
lonely dog tied to a tree with barely
enough shade or shelter, then you
know exactly how local resident, Bobbi
Shute felt. As a local realtor, Bobbi
would all too often come across
animals in terrible conditions while
showing property in the area. She felt
compelled to do
something about
it. So, nearly two
years ago, Bobbi
formed a volunteer-
based rescue group called
Animal Advocates of Pearl
River County. Her main ob-
jective was to advocate for changes to
improve the animal welfare laws in Mis-
sissippi. In addition, there was an im-
mediate need in the community to
assist abandoned, abused or injured an-
imals. And that is exactly what this
group of dedicated volunteers strives to
do every day.
Among the group’s “happy tails” is
the story of “Sampson,” a Great Dane
who was found wandering the streets in
Poplarville. Sampson was emaciated
(weighing just over half of his ideal
body weight of 140lbs). AAPRC
arranged a foster home for Sampson
and after visits to the vet and lots of
kibble, he began to gain weight and
blossomed into a very handsome,
loving boy. He was eventually adopted
by a family in Alabama after they saw
his post. As evidenced by his phots, he
loves to go on car rides with
his new dad!
Then there was sweet
“Sally.” Sally was a 12
year old deaf Pomeranian
mix who was found on
the street in Picayune with
a 4lb tumor on her little
12lb body! While the
tumor was determined to
be
cancerous,
Poplarville veterinarian
Dr. Harris was able to re-
move it all and Sally was
able to recover. Sally
proved to be such a sweet
and easy-going little girl
that she was soon adopted
by a family with other sen-
ior dogs. Now, Sally can expect to live
out the rest of her life in a comfortable
bed and a happy home.
None of these “happy tails” would
be possible without the hard work and
dedication of AAPRC’s volunteers.
Having volunteers to provide foster
homes for animals in need is vital.
Without fosters, taking in animals in
need becomes impossible. Equally
important to the group’s success is
fundraising since
the group is
non-profit and
I
Sally (before rescue)
Sampson (after rescue)
with his new dad
Sampson (before rescue)
18
SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE
| Winter 2016
