And the winner is?
Willow
and Soph ie!
Fern Greenbank
Community Storyteller
Facebook and other forms of social media have transformed the
world of animal rescue. Some of the most unlikely adoptions have
been made possible by the networking system created through social
media, said Susan Ragsdale, board member of the non-profit set up to
build a new no-kill shelter in Lewisburg.
Without that country-wide networking, many dogs would have
been euthanized. The available pool of local people who will adopt
rescue dogs is finite and social media allows the dogs in need to be
seen by rescue groups and dog lovers across the country. That’s how
two dogs, Willow and Sophie landed in the arms of an adopter in
Minnesota. These two special dogs have been named Shelter Dogs of
the Year.
Amber Schwindel is making the trek from Minnesota with So-
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phie and Willow, two dogs she rescued from death row at the Lewisburg Animal Shelter. She’s never been to Tennessee, but she feels a
special bond with this place because her dogs started their lives here.
“I started to follow a Facebook page called Puppy Love 4 Death
Row Dogs,” said Amber. “The woman that runs that page and rescues
death row dogs, became a real friend. I saw a poster she shared on her
page with dogs from the Lewisburg Animal Shelter that were set to
be euthanized and I just couldn’t let it happen.”
First, she adopted Sophie, who was named Snugglebunny at
the shelter, because the volunteers felt she would be the best fit for
her home situation and her existing dog. She was fostered for a few
weeks while transportation was arranged and she became Amber’s
new furry friend in August 2014.