Write Again . . . ‘Freedom for Friends’
Published 4:30 pm Monday, January 25, 2016
BRENDA ROGERS
OFF THE CHAIN: Freedom for Friends volunteers recently built a fence for a chained dog, Raven. The organization provides the fence in exchange for owners taking their dog off the chain and getting them spayed/neutered in an attempt to cut down on the county’s stray animal population. Picture are (top row from left) Liane Harsh, Brenda Bertrand, Chris Donahue, Kirk and Alexis Davis; (bottom row from left) Amy Lupton, Freedom for Friends founder Brenda Rogers, Rebecca Clark and Monica Ferrari. To the right is newly unchained Raven with her owner.
It was cold, growing colder. The rain had begun. A day to be outdoors, it wasn’t.
It was also in the morning. On a weekend. A time when most would have been indoors; somewhere out of the elements.
Not so with these good people. They were totally engaged in this group task, doing so with a bonhomie and coordinated effort gained from having done this many, many times.
This was their cause. Their passion. Their selfless service to something they feel is bigger than themselves.
Surely St. Francis of Asissi was smiling down upon them.
For, you see, they were assembling and setting up a portable pen for Raven. And Raven seemed to sense, from all the activity taking place, that change was coming about.
Indeed, it was. Her long, lonely days and nights, fettered to a chain tied around a tree that was connected to a short rope, were coming to an end.
Just who are these special folks who do such humane things? They call themselves “Freedom for Friends.” An apt name if ever there was one.
Seeing Raven race back and forth in her new environment, chasing a ball, fetching a stick tossed by her young master, was an emotion-causing experience for all of us who were there. She was happy. Oh, so happy. No other observation would be accurate.
Here in eastern Carolina, in the South, the plight of so many dogs is deplorable. Whether tied to a chain, or roaming loose, even the most callous among us know this is an abomination. It cannot find favor in the eyes of the Most Holy.
The good news, however, is that there are groups such as “Freedom for Friends.” They are working, one situation at a time, to at least make a change in the lives of a few dogs so in need.
They rely on contributions from folks like us — we who care — to carry on with their work.
If you feel led by your heart and mind to help, you can do so by contacting: “Freedom for Friends” at P.O. Box 2992, Washington, NC 27889; or email freedomforfriends@yahoo.com.
Even the smallest financial assistance is helpful, and genuinely appreciated by the “Friends,” and surely by the animals they help, as well as their owners.
Won’t you please consider this?
APROPOS — “Life on the end of a chain is no life at all.” — Anon
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