BARCS Needs Your Help Replenishing Its Emergency Medical Fund
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter is seeking public donations for its nearly depleted Franky Fund, which pays for emergency care of the more than 800 animals who need treatment each year.
In the last 30 days, the fund has run low as 72 animals have required emergency medical care, BARCS said. That need became even greater recently as the shelter took in a dog that was struck by a car in Gwynn Oak over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The ordeal left the dog, affectionately known as Butter Bee, with a broken jaw. At first, she was in such poor shape that rescuers didn't know if her condition would improve. But after a few days, her outlook has gotten better, and she had surgery Thursday.
Since then, the shelter has been able to track down the dog's owner. It turns out Butter Bee, whose real name is Lydia, went missing from her family's home two years ago. Lydia's owner, Virginia, took the dog in after her son, Johnathan, passed away in 2018.
But Lydia's family can't afford to foot the bill for her reconstructive surgery. And even with a discount on her medical bills, BARCS needs help covering the costs of her procedure. That's why the shelter is asking the public for donations to replenish the Franky Fund.
"This family has already seen so much heartache and tragedy, and we won't let the high cost of saving Lydia get in the way of getting her back home in time for the holidays to be reunited with Virginia and her younger son," BARCS said.
Your donations would not only help reunite Lydia with her family after two years apart, they would also help the hundreds of other pets BARCS looks after each year. To learn more or to make a donation, visit BARCS' website.
