Rescue efforts need volunteers

The loss of her own rescue dog a year ago led Linda Sumption to the cement building at 1700 N. Boston in Portales that houses the cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies picked up each day by Portales Animal Control.

"I wanted to do something to improve the lives of abandoned dogs and cats in our community," Sumption said.

An English professor at Eastern New Mexico University, Sumption is one of a dedicated corps of local people who devote their hearts, their time, and their spare pennies to rescuing their four-footed friends, or - when that isn't possible - improving the quality of life for whatever time those animals have left.

How does she cope with the heartbreak?

"Two things seem to help," Sumption said. "First, I feel a lot of hope because our volunteer group is networking to save so many animals. And second, I'm just very present-minded at the shelter. I do have private, grieving moments, but mostly I look at a scared or stressed-out dog in a kennel and say to myself, 'What can I do for you right now?' Those efforts seem to add up and bring me real joy."

Sumption is the volunteer coordinator for a group called the Labor of Love Project, and says she "counts the minutes" between visits to the animals the project has committed to helping.

Monica Eppinger, president of Labor of Love, came to Portales 6 1/2 years ago when her husband was transferred to Cannon Air Force Base.

"The first couple of years I did what military wives do," she said, spending time learning about her new community and making connections.

Her first encounter with Portales Animal Control was when her family rescued and adopted an American Staffordshire Terrier.

"Charlotte Grace," Eppinger said. "She was my first save."

In November 2016, Eppinger found herself in a van filled with 12 small-breed dogs whose shelter time had expired and who were slated for euthanasia. She was on the way to Tempe, Arizona, to a rescue organization she'd found after a frantic online search.

"I had rose-colored glasses," she said. "I was all about 'saving lives,' not knowing anything. I got in that van with no supplies - no gloves, no wipes, nothing - 12 hours turned into 15. The dogs were pooping, barfing from car-sickness ... I was gagging. It was monsoon season in Arizona..."

In retrospect, she sees the humor, but it was also an eye-opening introduction to the world of animal rescue that would soon become her passion.

"There is nothing neat, clean, or organized about rescue," Eppinger said. "It's dirty work. It's hard. It's exhausting. It's on the fly. You have to be flexible. You have to be patient."

But the payoff is priceless.

"When they get adopted - when you see the photos - that's the reward," she said. "Or when you pull an animal that is too sick to stand up, and help it get the care it needs, and see it transform. It's those moments that are the joy."

Eppinger has gathered a board and is in the process of filing for official non-profit status for Labor of Love.

"We are a support system for rescues," she said. "It's all about networking. It is labor - hard work - and there is no pay. I am loyal to the Portales shelter, but I am not loyal to any particular rescues. If you want to help Portales animals, I will help you."

The Labor of Love board includes three other military spouses - Chana Hampton, Carissa Humphrey, and Brianna Preidis - as well as Clovis librarian Lisa Jobson-Baird.

"A lot of people have lived here their whole lives and don't even realize we have a shelter," Eppinger said. "We're the legs on the ground. We're about being the support system for these animals, giving them quality of life while they have lives. It's about being a decent human being."

When Anne Beck isn't directing a play or teaching acting to students at Eastern New Mexico University, she can be found among the kennels at Portales Animal Control, bathing puppies, walking dogs, passing out treats, coaxing a purr out of a scared cat.

"Initially I was fearful that I would be heartbroken or deeply disturbed by seeing the dogs in their cages and pens and hearing them bark," she said. "Well, I was heartbroken and I was deeply disturbed but, basically, I thought that it was better to do that than to stay away because I felt fear or felt worry."

What she found, she said, was "great camaraderie among the workers and the volunteers, the devoted foster families, animal rescue people, and the charitable souls who walk among the cages handing out dog biscuits."

Stephanie Sena, who works with Portales Animal Control, said volunteers are welcome to spend time among the kennels during the regular hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

She keeps volunteer applications at the front desk and said visitors are encouraged to come by and bring toys and treats.

Eppinger has a laundry list of things we can do to help with the ongoing challenge of unwanted animals in our community. First up is, obviously, spaying and neutering every pet.

"If we could get really good spay/neuter programs," she said, "we could reduce euthanasia by thousands."

Until that happens, "I want to get t-shirts printed that say, 'Be the bridge - foster,'" Eppinger said. "Foster homes are what we need more than anything. When their number of days is up at the shelter, it doesn't matter how cute or fluffy the animals are."

Eppinger said there are plenty of other ways people can help, too.

"We need volunteer drivers to do transport," she said, both for veterinarian appointments and to meet up with rescue organizations in other communities and surrounding states.

Labor of Love also collects supplies to help animals in need. Eppinger specifically mentioned clumping cat litter, cat and kitten food, dog and puppy food, flea and tick medication, de-wormers for dogs and cats.

And of course, financial donations are always welcome - rescuers face endless bills.

Donations can be dropped off at Trinity Church, 601 S. Ave. B, Portales, from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. any Saturday, she said.

"You have to be a little crazy to be a rescuer," Eppinger said, but she stressed that the work she and other volunteers do is not only about the four-legged creatures that they love.

"That animal has the potential to give unconditional love to a family down the road," she said. "Because I help, I am giving a gift to someone I will never meet. Pets are a gift to humanity. They bring compassion and they teach compassion."

If you're interested in learning more or lending a hand, the Labor of Love Project welcomes messages through its Facebook page.

You may also visit Portales Animal Control or call the Portales Police Department at 575-356-4404. Ask for dispatch, and leave a message for a callback. Mine came within five minutes, and Sena said she works hard to return calls promptly.

"Animal rescue is intense because lives which have no voice depend upon it," Sumption reminds us. "We all play a different role. I think we need all of us."

Betty Williamson believes animal rescuers may be the biggest-hearted people she knows. Reach her at:

[email protected]