Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.


Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.


- Margaret Mead







An update from Bev!


1. The three kitties that were spayed and neutered last week, are back and recovering well. They each received a rabies shot. ( Total cost $195)

2. Friends at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church hosted a luncheon after church on Sunday, February 15. We raised $200 for Bev and the Sawmill Strays. We'll be sending her a money order this week.

3. Princess, shown above, will be going to the vet on Monday morning. She is going a little earlier than planned. First she is the "mom" who the family should have had spayed over two years ago, as a result of her litters and offspring litters there were 30 additional pups born. Princess has been attracting the attention of the male strays, so.....Bev decided we better move up her surgery to this week. Wise decision.

4. The large dog crate arrived this week. So Bev will be able to use it for Princess on Monday.

5. Keep Bev in your prayers as she continues to work to rescue these abandoned pets, as well as keep up with her own life's ups and downs. I admire her courage and perseverance.

So to date we have collected approximately $770 + Bev's $170 = $940. Pretty good for a small group of people coming together to try to change the world, one pet at a time. Thanks for your love and support.

We're at $220

Thanks to Jan Clinite for her donation!

http://www.janclinite.com/

Save the Strays with your spare change!

Here is advice from Bev for all of America's pet owners.

"My dream is that there be a state or county law passed, that if you own a pet, it has to spayed or neutered, as soon as it became of age. You only pay the surgery once and you can do it as eaily as how I was going to do it, by saving your coin change. Cut back on soda pop and sugar cakes, cigarettes, lotto tickets, something that you can do without for a little while in order to save so many lives. Just look if they had spayed Princess, they could have saved Samantha and her 13 litter mates from being born, saved Bear, Fats and their brother and other 6 litter mates from being born, saved the pups that Bear gave birth to and they died, could have saved the 3 pups born during Labor Day weekend and the 7 new pups, how many does that make? Just having Princess spayed in the first place. See what I mean. All these dogs were born, just since you, Donna, were here in July 2007. All those dogs could have been spared just by saving change. That's my dream." .....Bev, Sawmill Hollow

Bev, I did the math as best I could, and I have added up 33+ puppies born since July 2007 as a result of not having one animal spayed.

Our goal is to raise funds to help spay and neuter the dogs and cats abandoned on a lease near her home. Please help however you can, $1, $2, $3...whatever you can afford. We're at $170, and Bev has saved $170 by the methods she mentions above. Help us make the world a little better place, in Bev's small part of the world.

Thanks!

Double your money!

Received a 2 AM email from Bev, she works cleaning the movie theatre in the town, and the manager lets her check email on the work computer. I had reported to her that we had $170 already and commented about the power of prayer....and the caring loving folks in the world; her email back reported that $170 was the exact amount she had saved. I don't know how long it took her to save it, but we just doubled her money and doubled the number of lives she can save. You all are amazing! So with Bev's investment we have $340.

Bev will be contacting area vets by mail, remember calling vets in her area is a long distance call. Bev also will be building a carrier so she can safely transport the animals in her truck.

I'll keep you posted! Thanks again, all of you!

$170

Thanks to Beverly Brickey St. Louis, Missouri

We now stand at $170

$120 and growing

Thank you for your generous support, we are at $120.

Carl Nettercutt
http://flickr.com/photos/bengalsfan1973/


Chrysti Hydeck
http://chrysti.wordpress.com/


Jen Hoekel
http://www.senniger.com/attorneys/bios/Jennifer_Hoekel.php


The Gregory Family
http://360.yahoo.com/profile-nqXlzcA9cqha8cAjQkRZMT5WGQ--?cq=1

Save The Sawmill Strays

Seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your neighbor.



That is what Beverly does.

I met Bev on a church mission trip to West Virginia. She has the most incredibly clear blue eyes, and I know when you look deep within, you see the face of God.


















Our task was to replace her roof. Which we did, and I thought I would head on home and have happy memories of the trip, but what I found was a "soul sister" as we came to call each other as the week progressed. A city girl and a coal miner's daughter, with so much in common. A love of life, God and animals. Seeking fair play and justice for all of God's creatures.

We took that trip in 2007, and Bev and I continue to remain in contact. I admire her perserverance, love of life, her caring and loving soul.

Bev lives a very simple life, she is a mountain woman with simple needs. She works several jobs to maintain her independence. She adopted 10 dogs from a local shelter when it was closing, knowing that she would be able to handle them and keep them fed and cared for. They each have their own pen, while not fancy, are safe and clean. They are her life.

Now we come to Saving the Sawmill Strays.

Bev lives in Welch, WV, up a mountain road called Sawmill Hollow. Folks there own the house or trailer and lease the land from the owner. An unusal concept for those of us in the city. The lumber company or coal mine or other entity own the land.

One of Bev's neighbors up the hollow have abandoned their "lease", moved out, perhaps there was a divorce, but the people only come by once every month or so. They have left their animals at the lease without food or water.

Most of us might call animal control, knowing that the animals would be picked up and put up for adoption. ( Where does that happen, let me know.) In St. Louis, where I live, I would contact Stray Rescue or the Humane Society of Missouri or The Open Door Animal Shelter. Stray Rescue and Open Door are no-kill shelters. In Welch, there is a dog catcher working with the county commission office, Bev does not want to contact them, as they use a gas chamber. Often the animals are just shot by people on the mountain. There in one NO-Kill shelters in her area and it is always filled to capacity.

Bev has been going to the "lease" every day and feeding and watering the animals. One of the area animal control groups send food her way and others have donated money to help her feed these abandoned pets. There are 4 adult dogs and 8 puppies, 2 adult cats and 2 kittens. Bev, discovered the puppies in the last few months and has been feeding and caring for them. Since the weather has turned bitter she has decided to bring them to her small home to care for.

How can we help?

My wildest dream is for Bev to be able to start a No-Kill Shelter. That's my wild dream and maybe her's as well, but what she wants to do right now is spay and neuter the 4 adult dogs as soon as possible, and then generate some income to have the pups spay and neutered when they are old enough. Maybe out of this will grow the dream of a No-kill shelter. Perhaps in our semi-wild dreams we can generate income to build some additional kennels on Bev's lease, so that these animals can stay safe.

We are hoping that animal lovers all over the world will help us with a donation to our "Chip-In" account. I trust Bev, but you all don't know her. I am hoping that those of you I have met "on-line" will trust me.

She has discovered a local source that will assist low income families in paying for spay and neutering services. Those funds are drying up, and may not be able to assist with 11 dogs. She is going to check with them. She may be able to afford to pay for one of the dogs surgeries from money she has saved. My plan is to work with Bev, sending her payment for the first surgery and then additional payments after she sends the receipt for the previous surgery. This may not really be necessary, but I wanted the internet community to know that I am making every effort to insure that the money goes for the animals. I know that Bev will use it for the animals. I'm hoping in my wild dreams, for enough money to help build a few more kennels.



But first things first! We hope to raise $1,100 which would be more than enough to cover the surgeries and help with food and gas and a phone card. Bev does not have a phone and uses the phone at one of her part time jobs at a local church. The calls to the vet are long distance. The distance from her home to the vet, not close.

So much to tell.

At the top of the page is a photo of Bev with Samantha ( one of the Sawmill Strays) it was taken in 2007 when we first met Bev, the other shots are very sad and show the condition of the animals after Bev discovered them abandoned. She has since cleaned up the property and area where the pets were kept at the abandoned home.






















You can contact us at sawmillstrays@sbcglobal.net and find out more about us and who we are at http://bonniebluedenim.blogspot.com/

PS I've been in communication with Bev ( who checks email at her part time job at the local theater and at the library, computer class, and other venues around town.) and she thinks it would be cool to have each donor submitt a name for the dogs and cats, then we'll have a drawing for naming rights. Great idea, Bev!

PS-2 Chip In Clarification. When you link to chip in it shows my email and Board of Religious Organizations. I also have a chip in for www.brostl.org a non-profit group I work with. Your donation will go specifically for The Saw Mill Strays, I'll work on cleaning up the link language. Thanks!

PS3..this link is fixed, either way it goes to the correct account, thanks for your patience.