Swift sits at local nonprofit Peace, Love and Animals after being rescued by workers at a job site. He needs surgery, but the bill is several thousand dollars, so the no-kill shelter is asking the public's help to fund his care.

A local animal shelter is seeking the public’s help in healing one of its newest residents.

When Peace, Love and Animals opened in 2009, it was the only no-kill shelter in Limestone County. As far as founding director Cathy Oakley is aware, it still is.

Unfortunately, animal shelters in general are costly to operate, and being a shelter that avoids euthanizing as much as possible can be even more expensive — especially when you get animals like Swift.

Swift, named for the Swift Plumbing & Electrical workers who found him, was found at a job site. Oakley said the workers noticed a large protrusion from the dog’s backside.

“They knew something wasn’t right when he had this huge thing hanging out his rectum,” Oakley said. “They knew he needed help.”

So they brought Swift to the local nonprofit shelter, where Oakley and her team are doing their best to get him fixed and ready for a forever home. They learned this week the surgery required to fix Swift would cost several thousand dollars — and they already owed more than $10,000 in veterinary bills.

Oakley said it would be easy to look at the bill and give up, but instead, they turned to social media, asking anyone who could spare a few dollars to help them rescue Swift.

“He is so worth it,” Oakley said. “Yeah, we could just say his health problems are too much and we have to let him go, but this dog is so precious and amazing and playful. He gets along with other dogs and everybody. He’s just perfect.”

Oakley believes Swift is a mix of beagle or basset hound with pit bull, describing him as a dog with floppier ears and “a tail that just goes all the time.”

“He has a bit of beagle mentality about him,” she said, “… but everyone comments about what big feet he has.”

Multiple photos and videos about Swift were shared on the group’s Facebook page. One post had raised $2,435 by Tuesday afternoon, but Oakley said she wouldn’t feel comfortable until at least $5,000 was raised.

Leftover funds

Any money that doesn’t go toward Swift’s treatment would be used for the other animals at the shelter. Oakley said Monday the shelter was “bursting at the seams” with about 100 dogs and cats.

Donors can visit peaceloveandanimals.org/donations.html to make a monetary donation online or learn about other ways to contribute financially. Because Peace, Love and Animals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the donations are tax-deductible.

Donors can also help by visiting bit.ly/PLAwishlist to purchase from the shelter’s Amazon Wishlist and have the items shipped directly to the shelter at 19135 Nuclear Plant Road in Tanner. Oakley said some donors have even signed up with other services, like Chewy, for monthly shipments of dog food and other items to be sent to the shelter.

“There’s things we go through like crazy, like paper towels, laundry detergent, Clorox and Pine-Sol,” Oakley said. “We’re constantly cleaning and picking up poop and washing blankets.”

On average, she said, the shelter will use 40 pounds of cat litter alone every day. They also use a lot of baby shampoo, since it’s the preferred option for bathing the animals.

If someone picks up a few items during their usual grocery run to drop off in person, Oakley said there’s someone at the shelter seven days a week who can help unload the items.

Volunteers needed

People are need nearly as much as the supplies, Oakley said.

“We would love to have volunteers who come on a schedule, like ‘every Tuesday for two hours,'” Oakley said. “… It helps if we know when they’re coming.”

That way, she said, volunteers can come in to a list of things that need done, whether it’s bathing animals, washing laundry or preparing animals for adoption.

“We work hard at housetraining and socializing and preparing them for life inside the home as a family member,” Oakley said. “… There’s so much to do that we run ourselves to death just between feeding and laundry and sweeping and mopping, that we get behind on bathing or teaching dogs how to sit, how to shake.”

Those interested in volunteering can reach the shelter at 256-233-4343 or peaceloveandanimals@gmail.com.