Animal Services

 WCRAS was called by a Senior Advocate to check on the welfare of a dog that was ill or injured.  Officer Clinton Nelms responded and observed the dog, Pixie who was in respiratory distress.  He transported Pixie to Sierra Veterinary Specialists where she was immediately put on oxygen.  It was determined that she was in life threatening distress due to end stage congestive heart failure.  Officer Nelms was able to secure CARES funding to cover veterinary costs, but it was not realistic to prolong Pixie's life.  Officer Nelms had the heartbreaking task of notifying the elderly, homebound woman that her best friend needed euthanasia.  Pixie's owner had outlived her husband, her son and all of her friends and Pixie was all that she had left.  Unbeknownst to the owner, Officer Nelms coordinated a cremation and also had a photograph taken of Pixie and framed it for her.

When ACO Nelms returned Pixie's remains, framed photo and ceramic paw print to the owner to surprise her, she answered the door holding a pillow that Pixie slept on because it provided her comfort. She identified him as the guy who took her dog away.  When Clinton explained why he was there, the woman's demeanor immediately changed.  He provided her the items and she cried profusely with joy and hugged him repeatedly.  She has displayed Pixie in a special place where she can always see her.  She said she already feels less alone.

Officer Nelms showed incredible compassion by providing some comfort to a grieving woman who did not have anyone else but her dog for companionship, utilizing WCRAS' CARES program and his own funds.  This program enables WCRAS to step in to lend a hand to those that need it the most.

Tigger's Adventure
Tigger, an emotional support cat, slipped out a broken window screen from Mr. Pelletier’s home in August 2016. Mr. Pelletier filed a lost report with WCRAS but no one seemed to have seen Tigger. Two months went by when Officer Denning responded to a call of an injured cat in the area Mr. Pelletier’s home. The caller pointed out the cat stumbling near the building but unfortunately he went into a crawl space before she could catch him. Officer Denning set a humane cat trap and started knocking on doors in the area to see if she could find the owner. After several doors she came up to Mr. Pelletier’s door and learned that he was missing his cat for the last two months. The injured cat was the same color had the same collar. Eventually they were able to get the cat out of the crawl space and Officer Denning transported the cat to a local veterinarian. Tigger was anemic and dehydrated from two months of being lost. He required hospital care, blood tests, fluids and medication. Mr. Pelletier was on a fixed income and could not afford the medical bills to help Tigger. WCRAS utilized the C.A.R.E.S. donation funds to pay for Tigger’s medical bills. After the veterinarian released Tigger, he was microchipped and returned home to Mr. Pelletier. Both of them are quite happy to be reunited and the window screen is fixed so hopefully Tigger will not get out again.