Kurt Russell, Me, & 85th Street

I'm about to tell you a story, a true story, of how we arrived here. This is how Kurt Russell, me, and this journey continued on 85th Street located in South Eastlake, Alabama. Neighborhoods are a place we should take pride in and build a connected community filled with memories. While some are good, some others not so much. I walk my dogs each day along 85th street. I often see loose dogs wandering, even thrown from cars because the owners don't want them or don't want to pay a surrender fee to shelters or be known to have abandoned them. Likewise, I frequently see the smell of death along streets of dead animals starved to death viewing their rib cage and flies surrounding them, I could not sleep knowing the one I found dead was laying in the rain. Where do they go when they are picked up, and found they are then dumped in landfills along with the trash people set out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I visited a landfill, and my life was filled with pain, and forever changed. I visited animal control facilities, where some are so frantic they squeeze their nose through the gate just for a soothing human touch. Some cry out for anyone to take them home, while others have just laid their heads against the gate giving up all hope, waiting to die, awaiting euthanization just because of overcrowding, or no one wants to open their home to them, this should never be a death sentence. Don't think for one moment they don't know they have their own language of warnings of danger, love, a kind person, a dangerous one, and when death comes, they smell death, no matter how facilities try and disinfect euthanization. You can see it in their eyes. I once had helped birth litters my home from my sons' dog, wondering what their lives are like now. I thought about what I could do and as time went on the memory faded as the hustle and bustle of life problems came and went. Until one day I meet someone who would soon be named Kurt Russell and change my life forever. Walking down 85th street, I saw a trash can rolling and a scraggly tail coming from it. He stopped, stared, followed, then stopped again. The lady who owned the trash can blasted her car horn. He followed closely but far enough not to be harmed. I took my dog home and stopped in the middle of the house, and I thought to myself, what am I doing? GO! Back! Find Him! I did. I had no money, nothing fancy to offer him, but a place to stay and all the love I could give. Not only that, but I asked for help from everyone. Furthermore, I didn't care what they thought of my begging. I was begging for Kurt Russell. Soon 5 Super-heroes' vets and business along with community of 25 others I contacted who cared and donated to him for grooming, vaccinations, deworming, collar, leashes, and puppy food as all I had was regular food- $75, donations and discounts of services saved him. I'm sure others sent positive vibes our way who could not donate. But even $1.00 donation helped. Kurt Russell's fur was matted from face to tail, covered in leaves, stickers, and bristles. It took four bathes when I realized he was multicolored, I couldn't brush his fur because he was mangled in knots. I picked out and remove leaves, thistles, and stickers from his fur. My son heard me in the bathroom talking to him sweetly. His words and I quote, "Mom I know that's not another dog.". Yes! I exclaimed. He peeked in and said name him Kurt Russell. I said, huh?!, wait! what... where did that come from? Kurt Russell... and so that was his new name. He was groomed, vaccinated, and had a fluffy bed, dog food, vitamins, and toys. He tried to stay awake for the first couple of hours, probably due to him being constantly on guard trying to survive outside. But the eyes began to close, then the wobble as his body relaxed, he came from his bed and curled under me.

I had become a part of his pack, a gesture of trust, one of which I would never betray. It was then I heard snoring. I began to wonder just how many, "Kurt Russell's are out there struggling to survive. I had no car so if I found a deceased animal I would try to get rides to a pet funeral home to provide a burial before the city gets to the fur baby. because if reported they dump animals' bodies to local landfills.

So, I decided to make it official to start an animal rescue on paper officially, it was and still is a struggle. I would sacrifice much of my needs and wants. Hey, I'd been doing it all along. I envisioned having suites for found and lost babies. That's how it all started, RESCUES ON85th, because every day there were two or more animals with no home, matted, in pain. But all they received from humans was far from humanitarian treatment. Soon others joined in, groomers, veterinarians, funeral businesses, wheelchairs for pets that could not walk, now the search for someone to help with food for them, still waiting and asking agencies and businesses, and coming up with ways to bring awareness and to education. I now have a Fursuit, a shepherd, as a Mascot, his name is "MANNY" to raise supplies and to have others place money on accounts set up for grooming, vaccinations, and more. We are working on the creation of a cat fur suit, we'll name her, Mittens".  I volunteer my time to RESCUES ON85th, I ask for nothing, not $0.01, nor do i benefit from it in any way. But I speak for them in order that the humans can remember and realize that walking a mile in someone's PAWS is the same as walking a mile in someone else's SHOES. We stand for the elevation of change, for a loving, permanent, safe, secure living environment,