Their Animaltarian Video opens with the song “It’s a Wonderful World,” by Louis Armstrong playing in the background, and for the dogs lucky enough to be rescued by The Southeast German Shepherd Rescue, it is a wonderful world indeed. Congratulations to the Southeast German Shepherd Rescue, winner of the 2015 Animaltarian Award!
The SGSR is a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to three R’s: rescue, rehab, and rehome. Their video shows a volunteer in a water tank, helping a German Shepherd dog put one back leg in front of the other, in order to help him gain better use of his back legs, and later the dog is shown splashing around in the water, with a wheeled cart to help him get around. They take the rehab part of their responsibilities seriously, but to me, the “rehome” part is the most impressive. The volunteers don’t just want to find a place for these dogs to live, they want to find a home where they will thrive, and become loyal family members.
You can follow their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/southeastgsdrescue, in order to keep up with their events, and to see their needs. They are always looking for families who are willing to foster the dogs while they are recovering and going through physical therapy. You can also donate supplies and funds to cover medical expenses for the dogs.
Their video ends with Nemo, a puppy born with Swimmer Puppy Syndrome. I fell in love with this puppy as I watched him squirm around on the ground, unable to walk. The SGSR saw that they could save Nemo, and after hobbling his legs to keep them together, using a sling to help him walk, and then water therapy, he was walking in days. The music comes to a close, “what a wonderful world...oh, yeah,” as Nemo is barking at his reflection in the mirror and pawing at himself. As I watched the end of the video, I couldn’t help but think what a wonderful world it is for Nemo, because of the people of the SGSR, who could be heard laughing at the playful puppy over the sound of the music. Hard work for them, yes, but undeniably rewarding.
