CAMBRIDGE - It’s been said that all dogs go to heaven, and the spirit of one special pup named Katie was felt by all at Baywater Animal Rescue in Cambridge May 8.
On that day, low-income pet parents were welcomed to a no-cost vaccination clinic onsite, thanks to a generous donation from a Cambridge native now living in Tennessee.
Katie, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in May 2021, remains very much alive in the heart of her human mom, Sandy Hooper, who wanted to do something meaningful to honor her memory.
She found the perfect tribute in her hometown.
Though a lifelong dog lover, while growing up here Hooper wasn’t aware of the local animal rescue facility. Later in life, when her mother mentioned that Cambridge had a shelter, she became a regular contributor.
Hooper had lived most of her adult life in New York City, with a fulfilling career at Disney Company as Vice President for ABC-TV. While there, she had acquired two canine family members from a breeder. After they passed on, she began helping at a nearby city shelter, even becoming a trainer.
That experience convinced her that, if she ever became a dog mom again, she would help a shelter animal. Perusing Petfinders website, she fell in love with Katie, a pup in Arkansas, and arranged for her transport to New York.
Having spent the first year of her life in a shelter, Katie was unsocialized and timid, but soon took to apartment living and loved Central Park walks, though remained fearful of crossing the busy street to get there.
Hooper’s parents had relocated to Tennessee to be near her brother. When their health began to fail in 2015, she took early retirement and moved there to be closer. Katie adapted well, enjoying the quiet fenced yard and doggy door freedom. But in 2021, she, too, passed on.
While grieving her loss, Hooper searched throughout the following year for a meaningful way to honor Katie’s memory.
“That girl had a grip on my heart,” she said.
When she learned of Bayswater’s Capital Campaign to raise funds (the shelter depends solely on public contributions), she found her answer, donating money to create the Katie Hooper Pet Care Center.
“The goal is to help prevent lower income people from having to surrender their pets due to lack of financial ability to care for their health,” Hooper said.
Baywater Executive Director Carly Stockus can’t say enough about Hooper’s contributions.
“Sandy has been a valued donor to our organization for over ten years. In my two years as director, she has been a pleasure to work with. In 2022, when she first got word of our capital campaign to make major improvements and expand, she was eager to make an enormous impact,” Stockus said.
“Wanting to make a difference especially for the health and wellness of Dorchester County pets, she provided all funding for the Katie Hooper Pet Care Center, planned as a fully outfitted space to provide medical treatment for pets,” she said.
“Since then, much of the time has been spent in construction and development of the pet care center. Once we settled into the new facilities, Sandy wanted to help us host our first community event, and generously provided funding for the May 8th vaccination clinic, which provided some free services to low-income families of Dorchester County,” Stockus said.
The event, free to participants, would otherwise have cost approximately $149 per cat and $137 per dog. A total of 23 animals, 16 dogs and seven cats, were seen, she said.
The exams, conducted by Dr. Olivia Holden and Veterinary Technician Jillian Casey of Midshore Veterinary Services of Easton, included a rabies vaccination, testing for heartworm and Lyme disease, and microchip implantation if desired, Hooper said.
“No dogs tested positive for heartworm, with one testing positive for Lyme disease, and the vet was able to provide an antibiotic. The dog’s owner likely would never have known about it had it not been for visiting the clinic,” she said.
Most of the animals had been spayed or neutered, but two cats and three dogs received procedures for free, with Hooper covering the cost at $85 per cat and between $150 and $300 per dog, depending on size, Stockus said.
Goody bags were also given out to all who attended.
“We provided lots of treats, pet food, over the counter flea and tick preventative, and some other small goodies. We also have a slew of donated items we have accumulated over time, pet clothes, costumes, leashes, and collars. We take everything we can use for the shelter but make the rest available to anyone needing those supplies,” Stockus said.
“We had an entire wall of things lined up that pet owners could browse through and take as they needed. Many full hands and smiling faces left that day,” she said.
Currently the Katie Hooper Center is being used internally to help care for Baywater rescues, as there are still state licensing steps to complete before it can be fully open to the public.
“Our next steps are to obtain a veterinary hospital license from the state of Maryland. We would be starting as a part-time limited use facility, which means being open for paid public services a few days of the month. This would allow us more flexibility in hosting additional regularly scheduled no-cost vaccination clinics,” Stockus said.
“Before we obtain that license, we need to assign a responsible veterinarian. There is a vet shortage in the U.S. currently, and unfortunately, we do not have funding for a fill-time staff veterinarian. I am currently in contact with someone local to hopefully assign as our responsible vet. Then we will have a full inspection and await approval by the state,” she said.
Hooper was pleased to be on hand during the clinic, helping and meeting the pets and their parents. She was also able to visit with her aunt and uncle still living in Cambridge, and place yellow roses on her parents’ graves at the Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery in Hurlock ahead of Memorial Day.
To donate to Baywater Animal Rescue visit baywateranimalrescue.org ,or mail to 4930 Bucktown Road, Cambridge, MD 21613.
Most Popular
Comments / 0