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Second Chance Fund
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The
FOWAS Second Chance Fund is an important part of the FOWAS mission. Our
Second Chance Fund allocates money for adoptable animals that need
expensive health care which the Animal Services Authority cannot afford. Without this fund many sick or injured
animals may not get the "second chance" they deserve. Read below for
examples of how this program
helped save lives!
FOWAS Gives Rocket A Second Chance!
February of 2010
(Before and after photos.)
Rocket was surrendered to
the Watsonville Animal Shelter by his owner, primarily for barking (though
he was a strictly outdoor dog). Rocket is only
two years old. The shelter requested financial help because Rocket needed
X-rays to determine if his leg was injured. Now he is a healthy, happy dog
and is looking for a special person to adopt him.
We have had
him groomed and he looks like a completely different dog.
Ruby Sparkles After Mange Treatment Gives Her a New Life!
October of 2009
 Before
Picture
When Ruby first came to the shelter, she was covered in mange. Mange is a
skin condition caused by parasites, and is frequently found on wild animals,
stray dogs and cats, and malnourished or neglected dogs and cats. FOWAS was
able to save Ruby's life by paying for her antibiotic treatment and
medicated shampoo. With the help of a wonderful foster family, Ruby has now
grown a new coat of soft and glamorous short fur. She is fully recovered,
well-trained, and ready for her forever home.
 
After Photos
Tiny Kitten Shows Off Headgear After Life-Saving Medical Care
May of 2009
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These six kittens were motherless and needed several weeks of
fostering to get them socialized, independent and large enough
to be placed in adoptive homes. When Fred, one of the
friendliest and most outgoing of the bunch, had an emergency
issue with his digestive tract, the Second Chance fund allowed
his foster family to cover medical expenses for a life-saving
surgery. His foster family didn't even know they made
post-surgical cones in such a small size! They renamed Fred "Koni,"
in honor of how cute he looked in his headgear.
Koni quickly
recovered and is happy, healthy and ready for his
forever-family. Without the Second Chance Fund, Koni would not
be here today: The Second Chance fund was literally the
financial net that made the difference between life-and-death. |
Blue-eyed Bunny Survived
Predator Attack With Our Help
August of 2008
 Yogurt
learned the hard way that setting your pet rabbit loose, did not
make him "free", it made him "food". He is very lucky to have
survived being attacked by a predator like a dog or raccoon. He
is also extremely lucky that
Good Samaritan brought him to the Watsonville
Animal Shelter so he would be safe. Considering a
predator tried to eat him, he does not hold any grudges around
the shelter cats and quickly let them know that he is the boss
during playtime. He is a very sweet, gentle, and easy going
bunny so we decided he needed a
2nd Chance
to find a family that will protect him and return all of the
love he has to give. White bunnies with blue eyes are not very
common so he will need a special family to appreciate how
beautiful he is. He is currently living at the Watsonville
Animal Shelter and would like to be adopted with his friend
Ellie (a female bunny), and they are now very bonded.
Please donate to help pay for Yogurt's
vet care!
You Tube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN6VqSRE_SY&feature=channel_page
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Goat and Sheep
Rescued From Fire!
June of 2008
The
Watsonville Animal Shelter has a goat and a sheep that were
found stray after the first of three fires in Santa Cruz County. We
suspect that the owners just opened their pen in hopes of saving
them but no one has come to claim them since they are been here. FOWAS
is committed to finding them a home so used
Second Chance funds to have them
both neutered and had the sheep's tail docked. We had the sheep
sheered and he is so much happier. Their adoption fees are $75 each
but they are also available to an established rescue group. We have
so many other recently confiscated goats (females) that our poor
goat and sheep have to be in small pens and we would like to have
them adopted or rescued ASAP. Both are social and beggars for
treats. (These guys found a wonderful home.)
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Stray Baby Iguana Saved!!!
December 2007
See his U-tube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMEoEviK-ac&feature=user
Ronnie was brought to the Watsonville Animal as a stray in
pretty bad shape. He is only a few months old. Due to his age,
we do not know if he is a male or a female. The Friends of the
Watsonville Animal Shelter used second chance funds to get him
examined by a vet and receive medications needed to fight off
possible infection. Due improper diet, he needed extra calcium
to help him build stronger bones. He has already lost a few toes
from being malnourished but he is doing great now and is very
used to being handled. He is definitely the friendliest iguana
we have ever had at the shelter. Iguanas need special care and
can only be adopted to homes that can provide for their special
needs. Please visit the Small
Creatures Room to learn more about Iguanas. Ronnie was
adopted to
a very special home. |
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Two Siamese Kittens
Get a Second Chance |
November 2007
Mr. Peabody and Rowan are two (mixed) Siamese kittens who
needed help. With overflow from kitten season there was no room
at the shelter, and these two babies needed to be in foster
care. Here is their amazing story:
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
What would you call a soft, white,
thick-furred Siamese male kitten with Flame Point ears and nose
who looks like he needs glasses with his blue crossed eyes? Why
Mr. Peabody, of course….the little scientist. Mr. P and his
brother, Rowan (means red in Irish for his dark ginger-colored
coat), both needed some special vet attention recently while
living with their foster mom Cheryl and FOWAS came to the
rescue. Rowan’s eyes are already much better and Mr. Peabody is
slowly making a recovery from pneumonia. Because of the special
exams and medicine provided by FOWAS, these handsome brothers
will soon be ready for adoption. Please thank the FOWAS Board
members, as well as the Creekside veterinarians and staff, who
participated in their recovery.
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Second Chance Fund Saves
Three Goats! |
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October of 2007 Beth is a brown-and-white goat who was
attacked by a pit bull. Half of her ear was eaten, and her gums were
severely damaged. Dr. Thomas Meyers came to the rescue when he heard
about the Watsonville shelter goats.
FOWAS paid for Beth's medical bills,
and she went to live with the family of one of our volunteers. She
won't be bothered by violent dogs anymore and can live a very happy
life!
Also, two older goats were attacked
by this dog, and they were very lucky to survive. After they were
fixed up by the vet, they went to live at the
Humane Farming Association
Sanctuary. They would have been euthanized if FOWAS had not given
them the second chance they needed. Now they will be able to live
out their lives with compassionate caregivers. |
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Another Second Chance Success Story! |
 
January of 2007
Oliver and Sheba were at the Watsonville Animal Shelter for a very long
time. Nobody would adopt them because they needed dental work done due
to neglect. The Friends of the Watsonville Animal Shelter paid over $800
for them to receive extensive dental work and 30 teeth were pulled
between them. Oliver was toothless, but still fatter than Sheba, and
still preferred his dry food! He was so much happier after the surgery
because he wasn't in severe pain anymore.
Both of these kitties were 7-10 years old and were barely noticed after
kitten season began. After four months at the shelter, they were both
very depressed and spent all of their time sleeping. The public couldn't
tell how much personality these cats had because they were so unhappy at
the shelter. A nice young woman saw their amazing U-tube video online
(click here to see
it) and decided to adopt them as companions for her house cat. As
soon as he was out of the box, Oliver started exploring. He was so
energetic that he had to climb everything in the house within the first
hour. He still runs around the house a lot, but mostly enjoys cuddling
and meowing. Sheba licked her new owner, the sofa, the carpet, and even
some baby bunnies! Her mom was fostering bunnies, and Sheba helped out
until they got older. She was very shy at first, but now likes to play
with her new cat friend and cat toys. She is very gentle and quiet, but
surprisingly became the dominant cat in the house! These two would not
have survived if generous people were not there for them when they
needed help. Their current happy life was made possible by the donations
of people like you. Please donate to Friends of the Watsonville Animal
Shelter so that other special animals can be saved!
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Read About Honey! |
 Summer
of 2006 Hi,
my name is Honey. I'm a 2 year old female cattle dog who was badly
hurt when I was hit by a car in Watsonville. I was taken to the
Santa Cruz Veterinary Emergency Hospital by the Animal Services
Officer. I was in shock, and they weren't sure if I was going to
make it. Once they stabilized me, they did X-rays and found that I
had a complete fracture of my radius and ulna and a broken pelvis
which made it impossible for me to squat to pee. It was very
uncomfortable! Even though I was in a lot of pain, the Veterinary
staff and Officer couldn't believe how sweet I was. Dr. Macy and
Dr. Rinkardt felt that if my fractures could be repaired, I would
have a normal healthy life. I had a collar on, but no tag or
Micro Chip and my owners never came looking for me. Things were
not looking good for me because as a "stray dog" the Animal
Services Authority could not afford to get my fractures fixed.
Friends of the Watsonville Animal Shelter (FOWAS) was called and
they put up the money to fix me up. I had surgery and it was very
successful. I'm in a great foster home with one of the nurses who
took care of me before and during my surgery. I will be with her
for about 10 weeks.
My emergency and surgery costs have already exceeded $4500 dollars
and that doesn't include future X-rays (to make sure I'm healing
ok) and cast changes. If all goes well, I will be
adopted to a permanent home in 10-12 weeks. Please donate what you
can so the Friends of the Watsonville Animal Shelter can keep
helping GREAT dogs like me!!!
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Huge Rabbit
Rescue
In June 2004, the Watsonville Animal Shelter confiscated 53
rabbits from a "hobby" breeder. All of the rabbits were
crammed into only 8 cages that were filled with rotting hay, feces,
filthy water and toxic food. Only 8 were
adults. Four adults were nursing moms and the remaining four adults
were pregnant and had to be spayed immediately to prevent additional
litters.
45 were babies between 2 days and 7 weeks old.
All of the adult males were missing by the time officers arrived to
pick up the rabbits. At least one nursing mom was also missing
and her babies were distributed among the remaining mothers.
Unfortunately, the missing rabbits were never recovered.
After
detailed medical exams, many babies were found to have infected bite
wounds and intestinal parasites requiring lengthy veterinary care.
Additionally, one baby had a broken hip and one baby was blind in
one eye from an untreated injury. All rabbits still needed to
be spayed or neutered before they could be adopted. All
expenses were paid by our 2nd Chance Fund. Thankfully,
Creekside Veterinary Hospital in Soquel discounted their normal
rates.
FOWAS worked closely with shelter staff, volunteers, and rabbit
rescue groups like Rabbit Haven (www.therabbithaven.org) and
the Marin County House Rabbit Society (www.saveabunny.org).
Due to the financial support of FOWAS/2nd chance fund and the media
coverage we received from KSBW-TV, KION-TV, the Santa Cruz Sentinel
and the Register Pajaronian, none of the rabbits were
euthanized. It took almost a year, but every single
rabbit from this rescue received a loving new family.
Read the Article about this story:
www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/June/12/local/stories/06local.htm
Link to Donations Page
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