It Takes a Village...To Save a Murray
How does a four pound, thirteen year-old chihuahua, living on the streets of Abilene, Texas, find his way to a new life in Jackson Hole, Wyoming - a life that includes a place in the MODERNBEAST pack? It takes a village. And that village includes two new MODERNBEAST Featured Charities: Animal Adoption Center and Dog Is My CoPilot. Both the AAC and DIMC are located in the idyllic western town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. So that’s where this story begins.
The Animal Adoption Center was founded sixteen years ago by a kick-ass, force of nature, Rebecca “Cupcake” Tinnes. Shaken to her core after a visit to an overcrowded shelter - where she knew most of the beautiful, highly adoptable animals she saw would be euthanized - she decided she would make a difference in a very big way. Gathering like-minded friends and working 36 hours a day, the Animal Adoption Center was born.
The mission of the AAC is to save homeless animals from dying in overcrowded shelters through adoption, education and spay/neuter. The remarkable “village” of Jackson immediately embraced the AAC and its mission by fostering, volunteering, and donating. All of the hard work has paid off as the Animal Adoption Center has grown into a powerful force for animal welfare in the region. To date, the AAC has found loving, forever homes for more than 4,000 animals and through their Spay/Neuter Wyoming program (started ten years ago by Dr. Heather Carlton), over 15,000 animals have been spayed or neutered!
So how did Murray get from Texas to Wyoming? That’s where the remarkable, lifesaving work of Dog Is My CoPilot joins the story. Started by Dr. Peter Rork (a retired orthopedic surgeon and pilot), DIMC flies animals from overcrowded shelters - where they have no chance of adoption and face euthanasia - to communities where the animals will be adopted into loving, forever homes. With flights throughout the west, DIMCP brings almost one hundred municipal animal shelters and rescues in fifteen states together. Their impact is astounding. Dr. Rork and DIMC were recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning.
From the beginning of Murray’s tale, animal-loving people worked together. From the kind folks at Abilene Animal Services, to a fortunate ride with Dr. Rork and Dog Is My CoPilot to the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson, Wyoming. And from there, Murray was welcomed into our founder’s home and into our MODERNBEAST pack. Every pack needs a senior chihuahua. Quite a journey. Quite a loving village that worked together to save one amazing little dog.
MODERNBEAST is honored to support organizations like the Animal Adoption Center and Dog Is My CoPilot in the lifesaving work they do. As non-profits, both organizations rely on our donations of time and money. Please consider both.
To Donate to the Animal Adoption Center: https://animaladoptioncenter.org/get-involved/donate/
To Donate to Dog Is My CoPilot: https://dogcopilot.org/donate/
