Pickens Animal Rescue - Saving Lives, Including Mine

Squeezed between the marching bands, convertibles carrying local beauty queens, and homemade floats, a small group of PAR volunteers walked dogs that were available for adoption. It was the night of the Jasper Christmas Parade and although Georgia was playing LSU for the SEC Championship, the whole town turned out to watch the parade.  Pickens Animal Rescue is a non kill ranch which houses sometimes as many as 80 dogs and a whole house full of cats.  Dogs are neutered/spayed, given their shots and identity chips and can live on the ranch until a home is found for them.  I was a walker for the PAR group.  I held the leash for Sugar who is a medium size Georgia Black dog.  But she was in charge.  Sugar would make a wonderful dog for a family with boys.  She had natural curiosity and wonderful energy.  She was not afraid of the bands and only mildly interested in the firetruck sirens.  She loved each group of children that I allowed her to speak with.  We walked up main street in Jasper with Lilly a small, scared terrier mix who seemed to need a lot of reassurance and a loving home, Charlie, a black Pomeranian who has sight difficulties but doesn't suffer for personality, and Shiloh, a basset, who stole the show by deciding not to walk and sitting down in the middle of the parade right on the center yellow line. When the parade was over and we took the dogs back to the van to be crated and sent back to the ranch, I had a moment of sadness.  I thought about the dogs and how sad it was that they didn't have a home.  But then I realized, these are the lucky dogs. They do have a home.  They are loved and cared for and fed and given medical treatment.  For as long as they need it.  I am so glad that I stumbled into the PAR Thrift Store two years ago when I was at such a low point in my life. I am so fortunate that they had a place for me. A place where I have friends and where I am cared about. And a place where I know that I make a difference. If this Christmas you find that you are feeling a little let down, a little disappointed,  find a place where you can volunteer, where you can give of yourself.  A place where you can make a difference in someone's life, even if that someone is a dog or a cat. Sometimes the best things in life come from knowing that you are part of something bigger than yourself, bigger than your problems.  Sometimes we all need to be rescued.