Written by Lauren Námer
Photos supplied by Lauren Námer
You could say my life in rescue started as a little girl. From as young as I can remember, animals have always had my heart and everyone knew this. This meant that we had the occasional animal in need dropped off with us to care for, and I had a real menagerie of animals, which I spent most of my free time with. I even signed off all letters or cards with “love from Lauren & animals”.
My journey so far…
My real journey with rescue started when I was in my 20s, recently married and looking to do some charity work. I decided to foster for an animal shelter as animals were the obvious choice for me, having had such an affinity with them my whole life, and my husband was very supportive. Fostering is a great way to help shelters and the animals who need a safe haven to build them up in a home setting, before helping them find wonderful forever homes.
Over a few years I fostered hundreds of incredible puppies and kittens, each holding a special place in my heart, from the undernourished litter of pups dumped at the shelter covered in ticks, to litters of new-born kittens who’d lost their mothers and needed to be bottle-fed and hand-raised, etc.
I always found letting them go to their forever homes a particularly hard part of the work, and spent many hours crying from goodbyes, but as hard as letting foster animals go was, I knew I’d have space to help others, and that’s what I kept in my mind. There were, of course, a few “foster fails”, as they’re called, who joined my family forever, all of whom I’m privileged to have adopted, like our dear Molly.
Molly is a gorgeous, soft-natured wire-haired cross who was rescued from a dumpsite during mid-winter, struggling to survive herself, all the while trying to keep her litter of five pups alive under horrendous conditions. Although her scars tell a hard story, she thrived in our home, and once her pups were sterilised and found homes, we decided to adopt her. She’s a constant light and such a beautiful soul and is aged 14 now.
After fostering for a while, the shelter noticed I had a real love for the special needs animals, like those who’d been abused, those who were disabled and needed physical therapy and lots of one-on-one care to rehabilitate, or those who were sensitive souls who couldn’t cope in a shelter setting.
Having a heart for special needs
One of the first special-needs pups I fostered was a gorgeous boy named Dominic. He’d recently had surgery and needed hydrotherapy to be able to walk properly again. I took him to his water sessions and physio weekly and did all his exercises with him daily, and I loved watching his improvements which made him stronger day by day, until he was 100% recovered and ready to find a forever home. This is a testament to animals and their unwavering ability to live life to the fullest.
I fostered a real variety of special-needs animals, like adorable Bitsy, a small Chihuahua cross with a heart of a lion, who’d lost a limb and part of her nose due to gangrene. I helped pups who had such bad rickets that they couldn’t walk, but after several weeks of good food they became strong, healthy pups ready to take on the world.
I fostered “less adoptable” rescues, like an adorable white kitten called Pinky who had a deformed leg, whom we actually adopted, along with her gorgeous mother cat, Isabel, who was an adult at the time and so was also seen as “less adoptable”. At age 14, Pinky is one of the seniors in our home, who sleeps on my chest and gives me nonstop kisses while I watch TV.
I found there were so many special-needs dogs and cats that needed one-on-one care and were seldom adopted, so I started my own rescue organisation called Petsave, a rescue and rehabilitation organisation for special-needs and senior animals, which I ran for many years. Although it was very hard running a rescue organisation on my own and working another job to pay for my rescue work, it was extremely fulfilling and a challenge I was up to. I managed to find some very caring and helpful foster parents to join the foster programme and we were able to give second chances to some who may not have had the opportunity of an another chance at happiness.
I worked with blind and deaf animals, some who had come in unable to walk at the time due to spinal injuries, some three-legged rescues, and some ferals who’d never been touched by a human before. All of these special little beings were desperate to have someone invest in them and show them how loved and safe they could feel.
This work was incredibly gratifying and such a rewarding experience. One feral dog, Misty, who’d been living on the streets, having had all her puppies stolen from her, and who’d recently been hit by a car and lost her eye, came to me for rehabilitation. She was terrified and was unable to be touched without letting out a whelp of terror, which was utterly heart-breaking, so I had to take it very slowly and give her the time she needed to adjust. She stayed under our dining room table, only coming out to relieve herself or eat, and that’s where I sat for many hours, giving her treats and talking to her gently, trying to earn her trust. Over the course of several months, she slowly started to relax and got closer and closer to me. I can remember the first time her tail wagged, I cried tears of happiness and was so proud of her.
One day we decided that a walk with the rest of the dogs would help get her mind off her fears by engaging her nose and senses. It was a struggle getting her into the car, but once we were walking at the park and she was surrounded by our other dogs having fun, it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders and she started exploring the smells, enjoying the fresh air, and from then on, she loved her daily walks. We adopted her, our one-eyed angel, and she became such an affectionate, loving and wonderful family member who taught me so much about resilience and hope. We lost our precious Misty in 2019 to cancer - our hearts were shattered by our loss.
At this time, I also started to trap and sterilise feral cat colonies all over Johannesburg, and spent countless nights hoping to catch cats who desperately needed to be sterilised, to stop the cycle of suffering and improve their quality of life. Their plight is one that often gets overlooked and so I was committed to help slow the colony growth as much as I could.
One little pitch-black feral kitten with big green eyes and a very fierce little growl became a foster fail of ours and is still with us today, at age 14. Pebbles is a real cuddle cat who’s quite happy to lie in your arms like a baby while purring herself to sleep.
A love for little critters
Helping these special-needs dogs and cats opened me up to another type of animal with special needs: little critters, such as guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, rats, mice, etc., many of whom were bought on a whim and neglected or mistreated terribly. I received so many calls about these animals once people learned I helped special-needs animals, and I noticed that there were very few, if any, organisations specialising in helping these small animals.
I started Little Critters Rescue Club from my home and set out to not only help these critters, who were equally as deserving of the best care as any other animals, but to also bring awareness to their specialist needs and encourage people to adopt them.
Small animals are quite different to dogs and cats, each with their own very unique habitat requirements and medical care needs. I spent countless nights syringe-feeding critters through the night, and years learning so much about these exceptional little beings. So many of them were remarkable in their tenacity and spirit, like a guinea pig who came in with severe scurvy from a terrible diet and needed a home-made wheel cart to get around while she recovered, to a hamster who came in with a huge tumour on his head which needed to be removed so he could hold his head up properly and enjoy the remainder of his life.
There was a rabbit who came to me, whose determination and will to survive was unwavering. The entirety of his little body was covered in bite wounds from another rabbit he’d been forced to live with in a tiny space. He was mere skin and bones, had damaged ears and eyes, and his survival was tentative. A vet suggested I put him down, but I knew in my heart that this dear boy hadn’t given up yet, in spite of all he was going through, so I wouldn’t give up on him. I was determined to give him a chance and I’m so happy that I did. He required round-the-clock care to keep infection under control and to build him up, and after several weeks of daily treatment, good food, peace, safety and love, his wounds began to heal, his weight came up and so did his spirit. I named him Braveheart, because he most certainly had a very brave heart.
When he recovered and it was time for him to find a forever home, I wished for a very special home who’d love him as a family member, and that wish was granted. An incredible couple adopted Bravezy, as he was fondly known, and they loved, adored, and cared for him with the utmost care until his final days, many years later.
These moments and successes in rescue make all the hardships and emotional rollercoaster worth it, and I’ll forever be grateful for this home, and the many others, who gave my rescues the best “happy ever afters”. I’ve made so many close friends from those who adopted from me, and getting regular updates from them and following the animals’ journeys through their lives has been a real gift. Each of these friendships I cherish, as well as each picture I receive. I’ve also made wonderful friendships with many of those in the rescue community, with like-minded souls who understand the highs and the lows and who support each other.
Although rescue is a great passion and gave me all the fulfilment I needed, the physical and emotional toll on my body was undeniable and led me to chronic illness, which forced me to stop rescuing on a large scale. At the time I felt like I’d lost myself and the very thing I felt I was born to do, but I did find other ways to help rescue animals by donating to shelters through my art, sharing those animals in need of homes by bringing awareness to their stories, and by supporting other rescuers as best I could.
Saving seniors
There was still a big yearning in me to personally help those animals who are seen as “less adoptable”, so my husband and I decided we’d adopt senior animals going forward, and that’s where we are today, with a family of geriatric dogs and cats whom we love and adore.
Adopting seniors is an incredible way to give an oldie a wonderful retirement and to ensure their final months or years are filled with love and comfort, and they feel cherished and adored. This is a gift, not only to the senior, but to oneself too. I couldn’t imagine my home without the frosty faces, missing teeth and content snores. We’ve altered our home to be suitable for senior dogs and cats, with steps onto couches and beds, suitable exercise, tailor-made diets for each dependent on their ailments or needs, and I’m home with them, so they have consistent care and attention, the treatments they need and a warm lap to snooze on. Every morning when I wake up, I see my oldies, all cosy and safe, and this is what feeds my soul now.
Over the years we adopted some very precious senior guinea pigs to live out their lives with us, enjoying a big critter garden and cosy comforts. We also adopted a beautiful old Labby boy, Jamie, who’d sadly been at a shelter for seven years desperately waiting for a family of his own. We were able to give him a few months of spoils and comfort, delicious food and never-ending love. I was heartbroken that he didn’t have longer with us, but to have given him a home was the best choice we could have made. He was the first senior dog we adopted, which led us to all of the others.
In recent years we’ve adopted even more wonderful seniors which are currently with us, like Emmy. Emmy is a tiny 4kg mix breed with the biggest personality. She came with a bad infestation of hookworm and a dislocating knee, but she recovered well after repeat treatments and regular exercises. She’s my side-kick, always near me, and so in tune with my emotions. She licks my tears and does a happy dance for treats and is such a delight. She’s aged 13.
There’s Bentley, a very handsome old Pomeranian who was found as a stray by the SPCA and never claimed. He’d been there a long time and the staff worked so hard at posting his story as he was running out of time. He had a mouth full of rotten teeth and a scruffy coat, but now he looks like a regal gentleman, albeit elderly, with a silky coat and the sweetest nature. He has two modes: all go or all slow. When it comes to walks he’s “all go”, but for the rest of the time he’s softly booping you on the arm for more cuddles or snoozing deeply on the couch. He’s guessed to be approximately 15 years old.
We then adopted 12-year-old Ali, a senior pug from Pug Rescue, who’d been surrendered and spent over a year there. She’d recently lost her sibling, which devastated her, and so had I, and being one of the most needy at the shelter, we asked to adopt her, and we’ve since enjoyed all her funny antics, her notably long tongue and her adorable ways. She has a few chronic health issues but loves her life here and makes it known to us that she will not settle until she has a lap to rest on.
There’s our latest, adorable Fergie, whom we adopted late last year, who’d been at the shelter for many years. She was overlooked due to her age, like the others, and came with myriad health issues, which was another reason she hasn’t been adopted. She requires a lot of treatments, which she handles like an absolute angel, and she’s come such a long way. She’s a true hero for her moxie and we love her big character. It means the world to us to offer her a retirement home at age 13 and give her the treatments and the adoration she needs.
Every animal I’ve rescued, fostered, sterilised, or helped in some way has had a profound impact on me. They’ve made me a better human and rescue will undoubtedly always be a part of who I am. I’ll forever be grateful for each life I was honoured to have met, for each animal that taught me about courage and joy, and these lessons have helped me push through my chronic illnesses and cancer.
To the rescue warriors who fight daily and who continue their hard work totally for the love of animals and justice, thank you for your undeniable dedication and sacrifice.
