Special Feature: Southern WV Animal League!

Today We are doing a Special feature a interview with Southern WV animal league.
www.swval.org. This organisation came to my attention back in January when I posted this Appeal Calling out for Bunny in need in West Virginia .He is now called Bob an update on him is included with this Post below.

When was Southern WV Animal League Founded?
Southern WV Animal League was Founded in September 2010
Who was the Founder?
Michelle Muncy,Kelly Bennett and Amber Peyton were all co-founders of Southern WV Animal League.
What made your founder start the rescue?
The Southern WV Animal League was formed when a group of friends,who have a huge love of needy animals,came together as one.
Where are you based?
Princeton ,WV
How many Helpers/Staff and Volunteers do you have working for the organisation?
The Southern WV Animal League is comprised of 4 member Board of directors, 2 Behaviourists, a Webmaster, 3 Veterinary Advisers, a Financial adviser, 25 Fosters/Volunteers.
Could you tell me about  the organisation and how its run?
SWVAL is not a bricks and mortar facility.We rely solely on a net work of foster homes,fundraisers and the help of our community to continue to reach out to needy animals.SWVAL has the goal of keeping healthy and out of shelters from the start.our rescue system is based solely on approved foster homes since we do not have a bricks and mortar facility at this juncture.Due to the high possibility of illness when adopting from the shelter,the large amount of animals at the shelter and our own limited resources,we are rarely able to focus on one particular animal shelter.Our intakes are community strays and animals from homes in dire situations-i.e death of a owner,terminal illness,sudden move,loss of home/job,divorce etc.
Do you have any Plans for the Organisation for the future?
SWVAL will become 501c3 this year.Future plans include sponsoring ORV program for the community,launching a campaign to fund raise for a low cost spay/neuter clinic and putting numerous community pet programs in to place for strays and needy animals.We are also working on getting our sanctuary fund established so we can begin doing intakes of large animals such as horses,donkeys,llamas,alpacas and goats.
Could you tell me of your success stories?
This year SWVAL began intake of more than just dogs and cats.We accept small animals,birds,reptiles,fish,rabbits,pot bellied pigs in addition to dogs and cats.
We also launched our Temporary Foster Program which is a sponsored program where we keep the pets temporarily so a family in the midst of extenuating circumstances can better their situation and reclaim their pets thus keeping them with the family.We have begun extensive networking with larger rescues in bigger cities for animals that are not adoptable in this area,hounds and bully breeds for example receive little interest because there is an excess of these breeds in our area.This is our first year bringing on behaviour trainers so we are able to train dogs especially those deemed problem dogs and thus make them more adoptable.

Here is Bob the Bunny!

Bob:Came to our attention via FB.He had been found by the side of the Highway in Kanawha County approximately 2 hours away.Someone had found him and taken him to a local vet who discovered he had an incisor fracture.leg trauma,eye trauma and was under weight.A mutual friend of my self and the vet made the connection for Bob to come to the SWVAL.The vet was very kind to donate a neutering,eye drops,antibiotics and a wellness check for Bob and SWVAL did and intake.He was placed with a foster on a diet of soft food and oats for weight gain.After a bit of time we noticed that Bob had a runny nose and became concerned.Tests for Pasteurella proved negative and we begun to suspect Bob's teeth were the culprit.Despite being place on antibiotics he continued to be plagued by the runny nose,so we made an appointment for him to see a specialist 5 hours away to have his teeth extracted.Upon seeing the specialist his teeth were floated rather than extracted and lower jaw trauma was found as well.He was placed on more antibiotics as he had quite a bit of infection.He seems much more comfortable with this and is eating better and picking up more weight.He will return to the specialist in 3 months for a re-evaluation and if his teeth do not need to be extracted regular floatings will be done.Bob is a very Special Rabbit-he is whistle and click trained and interacts well with cats and other rabbits and adores his foster family.

Here is Mug the Pug!

Mug:Another success story is Mug the Pug.Mug was found dirty and bloated as a stray.She showed up at the door of a lady who took her in and was put in touch with SWVAL.She was initially thought to be pregnant.Upon examination,it was determined that she was a Sr. pug approximately 12 to 15 years old with very bad teeth and the bloating was due to very poor diet.We nursed Mug back to proper health,spayed her and got her teeth in good shape via surgical extractions and her foster home became her forever home.She is now thriving and loved.

Here is Panther the Cat!

Panther:Is one of our oldest success stories.Panther was brought in to our care less than 3 weeks after we were an organisation.An FIV positive Sr.cat, he was brought in by the owner who found him in that condition who wanted to relinquish him immediately.His leg was down to the bone and covered in maggots and caught in a trap.His jaw was also broken.We wired his jaw,amputated his leg and nursed him back to health.Although he is FIV positive,he remains happy and in relatively good health given his age (8 years) and his condition.He is well loved by his foster and has a luxurious long black silky coat.

SWVAL Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/swval

We shall continue to do these Features on rescues and shelters and other organisations of this type any body who want's us to do a feature please email me at rachel dot dejong28 at googlemail dot com