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On New Year’s Eve we loaded up the transport van with 63 dogs and cats and wished them well as they went on to a better life. Since I moved down here to Kentucky, this was the hardest group of kids to say goodbye to. Maybe it was because of dogs like Molly and Murray who were left at an abandoned coal tipple. They went from abandoned and afraid to happy and playful in a matter of days.
Maybe because of puppies like Pax and Pixel who have come so far from the day they arrived and I truly didn’t know if they’d survive.
Maybe it’s because we spent our holiday season with these kids– kids like Honey with her toy always in her mouth or Jerry always sitting in his food bowl to be sure we knew when it was empty made us laugh through all the hard work.
Maybe it’s seeing dogs like Shiloh start to open up.
Whatever the reason… it was hard to see them go. We wrapped up 2021 by cleaning and sanitizing the kennels and crates they’d left behind, and welcomed the new year by caring for those who couldn’t make the trip. We’ve established a routine down here now: say a (sometimes tearful) goodbye to the kids leaving on transport, clean up, and then welcome more animals to The Safe House, often within hours of the last transport’s departure.
The next two weeks flew by, and on Friday we’ll be sending yet another van of hopeful kiddos to their new lives and loving foster homes. No matter how hard it is to say goodbye, I am forever grateful to this community for giving them a place to land when they get to Minnesota. I know they are in Safe Hands, and that’s all I could ask for.
With Big Love,
Lynne Bengtson
Executive Director and Founder, Safe Hands Rescue
