Caring for Virginia’s Creatures
As the holiday season approaches, people gather around friends, family, food, gifts and holiday cheer. Not far away, a team of heroes for animal kind work throughout the holidays and dedicate their time helping those less fortunate.
Caring for Creatures (CFC) is the first no-kill animal rescue in central Virginia and is located in Fluvanna County. CFC receives no funding through local or state government but survives solely on the donations of individuals and fundraising activities. CFC began its mission of being a safe place for animals in 1988. It is currently home to over 200 animals. Staff and volunteers give homeless animals nutritious food, warm shelter, clean water, fun toys, proper veterinary care and lots of love and compassion. Every animal that comes through CFC is treated as an individual and cared for according to its needs.
Some of the animals at the rescue include Cosmo, a black lab who arrived at CFC when his elderly people could no longer care for him. Cosmo has been at CFC for about four years and is a favorite among staff and volunteers. A black beauty with some greying wisdom hairs on his face, this man loves car rides and being a companion to anyone who will give him a chance. After four holiday seasons with CFC, Cosmo is ready to find a home of his own.
One dog who has come a long way is light-colored hound named Chilly. He was a skinny stray who seemed to be scared of everything that moved. He was the definition of “shy guy,” but with some loving hands, gentle voices, yummy roast beef treats, and time to heal from his past, Chilly has become a buddy for anyone he meets. Chilly is a lovebug and no longer hides in his house when a visitor comes by his pen. Chilly is proof of what time and love can heal.
Caring for Creatures is not only home to dogs but is also to over a hundred feline friends. One of these is a male cat, Gabriel, who was found as a scared stray back in Feb. 2008. After spending some time being shy, he has become sweet and loving but still quiet and polite. If he wants your attention, he will come over and give a light and loving “head-butt” while he purrs. After spending so long overcoming his shyness, Gabriel is ready for a special someone to give him a chance to be the perfect lap kitty.
Gabriel, Chilly, and Cosmo are just three of over 200 animals that are waiting for their forever homes. If you cannot adopt, there are many other ways of helping these wonderful animals this holiday season. Like Caring for Creatures on Facebook to learn more about how to help these pets or visit the CFC website, www.caringforcreatures.org, where you can donate and find information on sponsoring one (or more) of the center’s pets. Caring for Creatures has also posted its holiday wish list under the “You Can Help” tab. There is no gift too small or unappreciated within the walls of Caring for Creatures.
You can also always choose to donate your time by becoming one of the many amazing volunteers that Caring for Creatures is so thankful for. As a volunteer, one can help with socialization of animals, playing with and walking the dogs, or help with the day-to-day tasks of dishes or laundry. There are also many other ways to help.
This holiday season, please consider helping a less fortunate animal in your community.
