Bambi Hoggle is aware of the problem of stray animals in Marion and Perry County, where there is no animal shelter, and she is doing something about it.
Hoggle said “people were complaining about stray animals” on a Marion community Facebook page. Some people said some of the dogs were aggressive and even suggested the strays be shot and killed.
“That’s not OK,” said Hoggle, who is a native of Marion and an animal lover.
Marion Veterinary Clinic has been taking in strays, but it is a veterinary clinic. They have taken in as many strays as they can, she said.
“We don’t have an animal shelter in Perry County,” Hoggle said, so she is starting one called Pawsitive Hearts of Perry County and is in the process of setting it up as a nonprofit with plans of holding fundraisers to build a facility.
A ride through Marion made her decide it was time.
Hoggle said it was reported that there were a lot of strays in front of the former Judson College campus on Bibb Street. She decided to ride around and look for strays. “I stopped because I saw this really sweet looking black and white mutt,” she said. She couldn’t tell the breed, but it was obvious she was hungry and had puppies.
“I saw how skinny she was and thought, ‘This dog needed something to eat,’” Hoggle said.
She keeps dog treats and small serving packs of dog food in her car. “I had to open two of the packs for her, and all she could do was wag her whole body, and she was grinning at me,” Hoggle said. “I said, ‘Oh, Lord, I love this dog.’”
Hoggle posted on the Marion Facebook page how sweet and loving that dog was and that someone needed to give her a home. That post generated many negative replies complaining about the stray animal problem in Marion.
About a month ago, Hoggle posted that she wanted to start a shelter and asked if anyone was willing to help. She said the response was overwhelming.
“I got tons of people. Even the ones that said, ‘Just kill them’ were saying, ‘This is great,’” Hoggle said.
Hoggle is heading up the group, but there are eight people in the core group working to establish the shelter. Over the last few weeks, the group has been catching stray animals.
“We’ve caught about 15 cats this week from one place and about five from another, but we don’t know where we’re going to take them,” she said.
Right now, they are fostering the animals. The black and white mama dog from earlier has been adopted by one of the fosters, and her puppies are being fostered, too. But a more permanent solution is needed. Pawsitive Hearts of Perry County needs a building.
As the first fundraiser, Hoggle said there will be a fun event she calls the Mardi Gras Pawty Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. It will be at the Marion Arts Center in the Wilbourne building across from the Perry County Courthouse.
Hoggle said there will be food, live entertainment and a cash bar. The tickets are $50 and are tax deductible. She also said there are sponsorships available. To get information you can call her at 205-928-2944 or email bambi@pawsitiveheartsofpc.com. You can also find them on Facebook at Pawsitive Hearts of Perry County.
Hoggle said she hopes everyone will come to the Mardi Gras Pawty and have fun.
“We don’t want to make any money for ourselves,” she said. “We just want to help the animals.”
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