The vacation season is among the many hardest instances within the animal rescue world. Adopting pets isn’t at all times entrance of thoughts for individuals, and harsh climate can create a way of urgency when rehoming furry pals.
For Amy and Tera McIntosh, founders of Misfit Mountain within the Thickety group northwest of Canton, working an animal rescue has by no means been straightforward. But with ardour and assist from equally keen volunteers, they’ve grown their nonprofit right into a thriving operation. Both Amy and Tera convey one thing to the desk. Tera handles the books and runs the operational facet of issues, whereas Amy offers with the animals, a job that may each be splendidly rewarding and painfully tough.
Amy McIntosh instructed The Smoky Mountain News that Misfit Mountain, which is developing on its second anniversary on Dec. 18, has been a blessing for her.
“When I was a kid, I always wanted to start my own animal rescue, Amy said. “I told my mom I’d build the rescue in the backyard and connect it to our house with a tube.”
When she was younger, Amy volunteered and labored at vet practices doing no matter she might to assist out, together with walking dogs and cleansing. About 4 years in the past, the couple moved to Haywood County, and Tera stunned her spouse with a big parcel of land, about 12 acres, on which they might build the rescue.
“When we got it, it was just a big overgrown field and nothing else,” Amy mentioned.
They set to work, and earlier than lengthy, they’d the bones of what at some point would turn into Misfit Mountain, a reputation that calls consideration to the truth that rescue animals can generally be regarded as misfits. They figured why not embrace that?
Misfit Mountain has a barely completely different mission than most different rescues. They haven’t euthanized an animal, though McIntosh mentioned one time, they have been shut to creating that call. In addition, the rescue not solely tries to rehome and foster out animals; it additionally tries to get animals whose homeowners are going by way of a tricky time — like those that could also be experiencing homelessness or a psychological well being disaster — again into their earlier houses after their keep. Sometimes individuals simply want an opportunity to get again on their ft earlier than they’ll return to caring for his or her fur child, McIntosh mentioned.
“We want to be proactive and remind people that just because they’re going through something, that doesn’t necessarily make them bad,” she mentioned. “So if they want to reclaim their animal, we’ll help them.”
One program created with intention in thoughts is Misfit Mountain’s Summer Camp, which affords non permanent foster take care of the pets of these “experiencing addiction, mental health, physical health treatment or temporary homelessness.”
“Often times animal owners have limited finances or family support to help out so that’s where we step in because we know that just because you ‘are going through something’ doesn’t make you a bad pup owner,” a web page on the rescue’s web site reads. “We have all been there. When you foster a pup in summer camp you help keep one more animal out of an already overcrowded shelter.”
Misfit Mountain is situated within the Thickety group. Donated picture
Misfit Mountain will even soak up animals from crowded rural shelters. Just not too long ago, they took in a number of dogs from Duplin and Vance counties, rural areas with fewer assets to rehome rescue animals.
“We get multiple inquiries every week from shelters asking if we can help them pull animals, and we get calls and texts from families looking to surrender their animals,” Amy mentioned.
Amy mentioned issues have been busy for her and her spouse, who each even have jobs of their very own.
“We haven’t hit a slow period yet,” she mentioned.
Part of the issue is that persons are busy sufficient with their very own lives that volunteering and fostering hasn’t been a precedence, leaving the McIntoshes to shoulder an outsized burden. The nature of the work requires them to be on-call 24/7.
“Last night at like 8 o’clock, we assisted a family who made an appointment and went into an emergency vet to request a behavior euthanasia for a dachshund who is food aggressive with its owner,” Amy mentioned, including that they took within the canine throughout what proved to be an emotionally charged state of affairs. “The dad was in tears and gave me a big, long hug.”
But these sorts of experiences, powerful as they might be, are why Amy mentioned she retains doing the work.
“That’s my driving force is to see these animals who don’t have a voice like humans, they can’t go out and ask for help, money, food, that’s my driving force is to be a voice for them,” she mentioned.
But at this level, Amy mentioned that though they love their work, extra arms would go a good distance.
“The biggest thing is time — time with animals time at rescue, time doing laundry and cleaning up dog poop, things that help make the big picture easier,” she mentioned. “The biggest factor is we are so overrun by animals, there are strays, there are neglected animals, there are animals who don’t have homes. Every little bit helps, but it’s difficult to make a dent in such a large issue.”
In addition to volunteers and other people keen to foster animals, Amy mentioned that donations are a significant want now to maintain issues working into the brand new yr. The rescue is internet hosting a fundraiser this Saturday, Dec. 15, known as “A Festivus for the Rest of Us,” a nod to the basic Seinfeld episode. At that fundraiser, Santa Claus can be readily available, and there can be a meals drive. In addition, there can be an unsightly sweater contest with a twist — as a substitute of people, the entrants can be animals, that means anybody who seems ought to discover the ugliest Christmas sweater that matches their pet.
Anyone excited by adopting, fostering, volunteering or donating can go to misfitmountainnc.org.
