2021 Team Bailie - Virtual Fur Ball Gala

Safe Hands Rescue is hosting their Virtual Fur Ball Gala for the second year in a row, and Team Bailie is raising funds on their behalf! During the early months of Covid & quarantine, our youngest daughter insisted we try our hand at fostering dogs & we haven't looked back. 

Safe Hands Rescue is launching an ambitious and inspiring campaign to open The Safe House in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. Shelters in rural Appalachia struggle with so many animals in need and not nearly enough resources or adoptive homes to go around. Complex threats currently put more animals than ever in jeopardy – the pandemic has resulted in tremendous economic uncertainty and fewer resources for animals in need.  More animals than ever find themselves lost and alone, hungry, scared, and struggling to survive. 

The overall goal is to raise $100,000 for the renovation of the barn at The Safe House in Kentucky & transform it into a fully contained & safe space with clean kennel runs where dogs and cats can get the medical attention and food they desperately need before making the long trip up to Minnesota to find their forever homes.

Our story of fostering Merry & the 9 M pups is one of the reasons why we're fundraising this year, and why we know this project will save lives.

We will never forget the call we had with Lynne on Sunday evening, Dec 20th, 2020 telling us of a sweet momma dog, Merry and her pups who were just rescued after someone saw a seemingly pregnant dog who had gone under a shed to give birth. They were going to be needing a home in MN in just a few days.  We then saw the photos of the concrete rubble that was dug up and sorted through by the hero who saved her & her babies. And the look on Merry’s face showed that she was in great need of food, warmth & love.

We knew very little about what was going to be needed but Lynne walked us through the preliminary details that first night over an hour long phone conversation. We immediately felt called to do whatever we could to help this family.

Three days later, they all arrived!  Along with our girls, we instantly turned into caretakers/nurses administering meds & doing all we could do to help them thrive.  Each day early on, consisted of weighing these sweet pups twice a day (in grams at first!) to be sure they were growing and getting enough nourishment from their momma. We also made sure Merry was eating enough & healthy enough to feed her pups. She was so hungry when she came to us...consuming between 8-12 cups of food each day the first few weeks - while gaining a healthy 11 pounds!

Our winter flew by (which in Minnesota is a good thing!!) with so many days spent cuddling with the pups, introducing them to noises, socializing them, introducing them to potty training, and eating wet food & kibble. so amazing to see the great strides they took in growth, development & socialization so quickly! We cried a lot...cried because it was hard, because we were worried, because we fell in love & couldn’t bear to see them go, and cried happy tears because we were so proud of how strong & healthy they were in the end. If we lived in the countryside we really would have adopted them all!

Merry, our sweet, patient, wonderful momma, along with five males: Moby, Monty, Mozart, Matisse & Morris & four females: Maude, Mocha, Millie & Marie were now content.

Our family will forever be grateful for this experience and the opportunity to raise these babies & help nourish & feed momma back to good health, all while preparing them for the world & their new homes. None of this would have been possible without Safe Hands Rescue.

As of this writing, all ten of them have amazing new homes where they are thriving and are so well loved!

Safe Hands Rescue gives homeless pets a second chance to have a great life. If you have a companion animal, you know that we don’t just rescue them…they rescue us too. They bring happiness, make us laugh, keep us company and give us comfort. We give them the best days of their lives and in return they give us the best days of ours.

That’s why we're participating in the Safe Hands Virtual Furball fundraiser, and why we're inviting you to join us in donating to the cause. There are so many more companion animals like Merry & her pups, who want to be saved. 

We aren’t sure what prompted us to take this sweet family in but we are so glad that we did. Are you able to make a gift today to help rescue more dogs like Merry & Co? Your gift today will help save lives, share joy and create love for so many. Thank you!

Brandon, Tara, Morgan & Ella