Images Of Amber Mae, By Betty Haynes Of Patrick County VA

Here is a video I made of picture I took over the past few years of my niece Amber Mae Johnson. I hope she knows what a beautiful girl I think she is. I love her with all my heart.
http://youtu.be/7c0a4gZkXKM .

Images by: Betty Sue Haynes. I Betty Haynes owns the rights to these images. Please do not use with out written permission of Betty Sue Haynes.

Save Money on Pet Costs: Splitting Larger Doses of Frontline Flea Medication

Save Money on Pet Costs: Splitting Larger Doses of Frontline Flea Medication

Betty Haynes's Dog Rescue Adventure In Campton KY

 
    This is just one of the many adventures my husband and I have had doing animal rescue in the past couple of years. This story, is one that makes me laugh now that I think about it. Then it was not funny in the least.

    Kenny came to be at Our Critters in an odd sort if way in 2010. We did a transport to Lexington KY to help get a rescue dog to his new family. One the way back our car decided to “give up the ghost” and die on us. We ended up in a small area called Pine Ridge in Campton KY. If anyone knows this area they know it is very remote. We made it to a store off the parkway before the car died all the way. My husband and I had to actually push it in to the parking lot to get it out-of-the-way. We determined the car had extensive problems that would not be worth fixing. It would cost more to repair it than the car was worth. It would have costed a fortune to have it towed the 6 hrs home as well. So, I went inside the store and asked someone if they knew anyone that would buy scrap. Some nice fellows hooked us up with a friend who had a garage and bought junked cars.

The nice gentleman and his wife arrived and we made a deal and ended up selling our car to them for junk. While we were standing there talking a lady in white mustang pulled up in the parking lot in front of us and shoved this little dog out of the car. She then took off down the road. The dog ran straight to the out stretched arms of my husband Barry. He scooped him up and placed him in the car with me. We could not believe what we just witnessed. I asked about reporting the lady but the gentleman who bought my car said it would do no good. They do not even have an Animal Control officer there. The game warden takes care of all the strays. What ever that meant.

    We hitched a ride to the only overly priced motel in the county. I was praying all the way that they accepted pets, and they did thankfully. We were so happy to finally be in a room with some air. It was very hot that day. We decided to name the little dog Kenny. Since we found him in Kentucky. Kenny is a suitable name. Kenny, turned out to be a VERY SWEET AND LOVING little fellow. An added bonus is that he is house trained.

    Sunday was spent trying to figure out how to get back home. All the car rental places were closed until Monday. Not to mention we had not eaten a meal in over 24 hrs. There was no restaurants that delivered to the remote area. The nearest store was 2 miles away. To get to it walking meant we would have to cross over traffic barricades and fight very heavy fast traffic. My husband decided that I was not going with him. He said there was no way I could crawl over those concrete barricades as short as I am. Not to mention I had flip-flops on and I have a leg issue due to a fall off a ladder a few years ago that required some extensive surgery to correct. I can’t stand or walk for any length of time without being in severe pain. So, by chance I was talking to one of the house cleaning staff and she volunteered to take me to the store. She was able to do so with the managers blessing. I was able to get some sandwich stuff and some snacks and drinks and dog food for little Kenny. I was very happy to do so. I was so thankful for the nice girl who helped us.

   Did I mention that I had no black berry service at the location? My cell barley worked to get calls out. There was no telephone books in the motel rooms. I had to really work to get numbers to call to research on how to get out of the little hick town we were stuck in. I called Greyhound which would have been our ticket out of there but only one thing, They did not accept dogs. So, even if it meant us WALKING HOME that is what we would have done. No way no how was I ever going to abandon that little dog the way he was abandoned in front of us. So, I began calling every car rental place I could think up starting at 7 am Monday morning. No one would do a one way rental. The ones that would do a one way rental required a major credit card in the driver's name, which we did not have. All we have is a debit card. Some would not rent without a KY license. I found one that would rent a one way but in order to do that I had to rent the car for 5 days and that was $1200.00. No way no how could I afford that. So finally after some suggestions from a dear friend and my brother we called U haul. They agreed to rent us a one way 10 ft moving truck to get home.

     Now, we had to get to the U haul rental place 30 miles away. We ended up getting a ride there with 2 Nuns from a near by Catholic Church. They were very happy to help Barry and I and little Kenny. Kenny was a hit with them. They said their Parish was under Saint Francis who was the Patron Animal Of Saints. I will never forget Sister Ann and Sister Amy. They were really our angels in disguise. Without them I have no idea what we would have done.

     It is amazing to think how God works things. Even though our simple “Go There, and Come Back” trip costed us over $700 when it was said and done, that is where we were meant to be. We were meant to find little Kenny. He is such an awesome little dog. He has long since gone to his forever home, but his memory will linger in my heart forever.

Cats For Adoption FEES WAIVED!

We have waived all the adoption fee for the cats for adoption. You can see the cats on the web site http://www.ourcritters.net. All cats are spayed/neutered, FeLV tested and had all shots. To see the cats we have please check out the web site.

Here is some pictures of the cats we have that need homes. You can see others on the web site.

Betty Sue Haynes

Betty Sue Haynes 39

There is 2 sides to every story honestly :)

Our Christmas Miracle

“ Our Critters Christmas Miracle”


Last Christmas Eve my husband and I spent the day searching for one of our rescue dogs. She was a small Border Collie mix we lovingly named “Pebbles”. She had slipped her leash on the way home from an adoption in MD. The adopter did not have enough patience with a younger dog and she gave up on Pebbles, in my opinion just a little too fast. The volunteer who was transporting Pebbles back to us was heart broken that Pebbles ran away on her watch. She had spent hours looking for Pebbles in the rocky mountainous area where she was last seen.

Pebbles had escaped the confines of her leash just outside of Lexington VA. In no time we had a dedicated group of Volunteers combing the rugged terrain of the area. There were many sightings of Pebbles from various locales but no one was able to secure or capture her. I knew time was running out. Pebbles was out on her own at the worst time ever. Most of that area of VA as well as where we lived had been blanketed by at least a foot of snow. The temperatures were frigid as well. My dreams were filled of my little dog and I felt as if she was willing us to come take her home. That is the only way I know to describe my feelings.

The night before Christmas Eve my husband and I decided to go look for Pebbles one last time. We drove the many hours up 1 81 to the location she was last seen at. Our plan was to get up at the faint crack of dawn and start looking for our beloved canine friend. So that is what we did.

We combed the rough snow covered terrain, We had searched all day with no luck. We saw many signs that she had graced the area but we had no sightings of her. I could feel her near with every being of my body, yet with each plea I made calling her name my heart sank that much further. Time was running out. Soon we would have to go.

We were about to give up and my husband decided to climb down in to a very deep ravine that was coated with snow and ice. It was very steep and it was hard to walk and remain upright. As he descended down into the abyss I searched the higher ground. After what seemed like hours calling and searching ,my heart was breaking. I felt so helpless and defeated. I plopped down on the back bumper of our van. I bowed my head and said “Lord I do not want to go home without my dog”. As soon as I uttered those words my cell phone rang. On the other end was the ecstatic voice of my husband. He simply said “ I have found her”. I had never felt such joy in my life as I did at that minute. Soon afterwards my husband appeared gallantly carrying Pebbles out of the grasp of the rugged wilderness. It was if he was a knight carrying a Princess out of the grip of a falling kingdom! What a sight it was to behold. He had Pebbles tucked under his coat, and as I got close enough to her, she kissed my face. She was as happy to see me as I was her. I uttered THANK YOU LORD!

The happenings of Christmas Eve stayed with me though out the year. When things got tough and I thought I did not have a friend in the world the memory of finding little Pebbles always enters my mind. I am reminded that no matter how helpless I feel someone up above is always listening. Little Pebbles had been on her own the in blinding bitter weather for almost 11 days. It was truly a miracle that we found her. I thank God that he was listening when I made my plea to him that cold winter day.

May you and your family experience a little Christmas Miracle of your own. May it permeate thought your soul and heart for the duration of the upcoming new year. It truly is the simple things in our lives that we should be most thankful for!

Merry Christmas,
Barry,Betty & Blake Haynes
Pebbles & The Other Precious Souls Of Our Critters