Marli came to C.A.R.E. in August of 2001 as one of our first canine guests. Prior to that, she had lived for some time in a junk yard before being taken to a local veterinarian's office to be euthanized. At that time she was severely depressed, had heartworms, a bad case of scabies, and a spine fracture from physical abuse. The spine fracture damaged her bowels and her bladder leaving her incontinent and unable to walk properly.

At C.A.R.E we provided shelter, love, attention, and treated her medical conditions. However, given the severity of her psychological and physical problems it appeared extremely unlikely Marli would be able to find a forever home and would live out the duration of her life at the shelter.

Then along came Betsy Ilfeld, a volunteer on our Kennel Care Team, with a desire to work especially hard to improve the quality of Marli's life. Over the course of the next several months she spent extra time walking, grooming, training, and playing with Marli. Eventually, after many "at home" visits to see how Marli would adjust to a home environment, Betsy and her husband became convinced that they could provide Marli with the home she needed. And so they adopted her themselves. That was earlier this year and Betsy reports that Marli has adjusted well, walks better and plays like a puppy - probably for the first time in her life.

C.A.R.E. is grateful for volunteers like Betsy Ilfeld who give so much time and effort helping the animals in our care. And Marli is too!