Meet Miss Wesley!
No, were not talking about Torrey DeVitto. This Miss Wesley comes in the form of an 8 week old Pit Bull puppy who was busted out of Chicago Animal Care and Control just this weekend (April, 14, 2012). This lucky girl, Wesley, got to meet her celebrity namesake, Paul Wesley, at TVD Chicago.
Let me introduce myself, and how I came to have Miss Wesley. My name is Linzy (@ISF_K9ResQr). I attended this weekends TVD Chicago event with @PaulWesleyFans herself, Sharie. I have been doing dog rescue in Minnesota for the last 13 years and in that time have fostered around 900 animals. I volunteer as a foster home and intake coordinator for a 501(c)(3), Non-Profit, No-kill rescue. We rescue dogs from all over the U.S., but more specifically the South. We have pulled dogs from Chicago Animal Care and Control many times in the past, but I had never been there myself, as the dogs we rescue are transported up to MN by a wonderful network of volunteer transporters who drive the dogs to rescue. Three of us decided to go check out the CACC while we were in town for TVD Chicago. I knew CACC was bad, I mean, in a city with 8 million people, you can imagine the number of animals that go through the doors of this facility. We toured the facility. Room, after room, after room of animals there, many of which will likely never make it out alive. In the two hours we were there, there was a steady flow of people surrendering their animals from the time we arrived to the time we left.
Many people do not know the reality of rescue and what goes on behind closed doors. It is certainly not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, after 13 years of rescue, the cruelty of mankind never ceases to amaze me. We saw a cat in the medical ward who had been set on fire, an English Bulldog who had chemical burns from chemicals being poured on him, a 3 month old kitten who’d had its leg cut off by someone. The horrors go one and on. Momma cats with new born kittens, dogs who had been used for dog fighting. I will spare you the rest of the details
Being a rescuer I knew it was likely that I wouldn’t leave empty handed. Of course, that was the case. Unfortunately, we were staying at a hotel, and while it was pet friendly, I had to be conscious in my decision on who and what I pulled from this facility. We came across Miss Wesley in a back room known as “Drop Off.” There were 20 or so other animals in this room from feral 4 week old kittens, to dogs covered head to toe in mange. This room houses the animals who are on stray hold. Once an animals time is up there are three options; they are placed up for adoption, where their time on the adoption floor is very limited due to space, they are considered unsafe to place in the general public for on reason or another (shyness, fear aggression, medical needs, etc) and are only available to rescues, or they are euthanized.
Wesley was quietly curled up in a small kennel by herself. Her time on stay hold was up that day. The majority of dogs at the CACC were Pit Bulls, or other similar bully breeds. Their chances of adoption are significantly lower than other breeds due to prejudice and bad reputation. It was a hard decision to make, which one of these dogs I was going to pull into our rescue. I made the decision to pull Wesley and after 2 hours at the CACC, we left with her, and she was on the road to a whole new life.
After being stuck in a small kennel for the last week, as you can imagine, Wesley was a ball of energy for the next several hours. Running and playing and doing what puppies do best, being adorable. She was most definitely someones dogs. At only 8 weeks old, she was definitely well-started on the house training, and was very well behaved, but for whatever reason her former owners opted not to claim her, or just didn’t care enough to get her back. Miss Wesley must have thought she had died and went to heaven. Going from a metal 3ft by 3ft kennel, to a hotel suite filled with thousands of animal loving TVD fans.
The wonderful staff of Creation Entertainment allowed Miss Wesley (and my personal dog, a Chihuahua named Squishy) attend the entire convention. Hundreds and hundreds of people spent the weekend gushing over Wesley, and in all fairness, who can resist a puppy? Well, the cast of the Vampire Diaries is no exception. David Anders(Uncle John) and Zach Roerig(Matt) themselves brought Miss Welsey (and Squishy) up on stage in front of the thousands of people in the audience. Matt Davis(Alaric) melted over Wesley’s cuteness, Daniel Gillies(Elijah) couldn’t help but “Awwwe” over her adorableness, and Kat Graham(Bonnie) scooped her up and started signing to her.
Wesley finally met her namesake, Paul Wesley himself at the very end, on the very last day of the convention. Of course, he couldn’t resist, and who blame him? When I told him Sharie (@PaulWesleyFans) named her Wesley, he was totally taken back. He took her out of my arms and loved up on her like crazy, getting lots of love and kisses in return, of course. He had a hard time giving her back and was totally in love.
Miss Wesley is a great success story of a shelter dog taken from a high-kill shlter, where its very likely she never would have left alive, and became a star. She was hit at the convention, and everyone loved her; from the fans, to the staff, to the stars themselves. She met more people that weekend than most dogs will meet in their entire lives. Wesley is back with me in Minnesota now and is fitting in wonderfully with the rest of her foster brother and sisters. She will be fully vetted (spayed, updated on shots, treated for any issues that may arise, microchipped, etc.) and placed up for adoption, where we will screen potential adopters and pick out the best family possible for her to go on a live her life as the family member she deserves so much to be. Unfortunately, I have to put this in here. While Wesley made it out and will go one to live a wonderful life, we left behind over 200 animals who may not be so lucky. So please, please, please spay and neuter your pets and adopt from shelter or rescue. Adopt, don’t shop!
And now you know Wesley’s story.
Sincerely, Linzy(@ISF_K9ResQr) and Wesley
