The 4-year-old dog that was abandoned and later reunited with her owner, thanks to a good Samaritan's intervention and a Facebook post, now has a MAC Cares Fund opened for her.
McKamey Animal Center, a nonprofit animal center, has made a new MAC Cares Fund announcement that was made in Lilo's honor and that aims to help stop family pets from being split up from their owners.
NewsBreak earlier reported that the dog, named Lilo, was left by her owner to wander about with a note tied to her leash that read: "Please keep my name. My name is Lilo. Please love me. My mom can't keep me and is homeless with 2 kids. "She tried her best but can't get help. I cost too much for her. She really loves me & I'm a great dog & love to be loved on. Please don't abuse me."
A few days later, a kind stranger discovered the German shepherd-Great Pyrenees mix dog wandering with her leash still attached, most likely near where the owner had left her, and brought her to McKamey Animal Center of Chattanooga.
McKamey Animal Center, being particularly moved by the anonymous message on Lilo, then searched for the owner of the dog through a social media post saying, "We are so sorry that you had to make the decision to leave her behind."
A day later, Lilo and her owner were reunited, and McKamey Animal Center is attempting to support the family in order to keep Lilo with them indefinitely, according to Lauren Mann, the director of advancement at the center.
A post on Facebook by McKamey Animal Center read: "Sadly, we know that there are many other families in similar situations who don't have this outpouring of love and support. For them, and in Lilo's honor, we have decided to establish a fund dedicated to preventing as many families as possible from being separated from their beloved pets. Donations made to this new fund, tentatively called The MAC Cares Fund, will help people and their pets stay together when homelessness and financial hardship loom by providing things like pet deposits for housing, temporary boarding of animals, food, supplies and essential veterinary care, and more."
Mann stated: "We are working with some different partnering agencies in town and different nonprofits now, to try and get them set up into a pet-friendly shelter and get them back on their feet, and just overcome the homelessness that they're experiencing."
Mann said she wants people who are experiencing homelessness with a pet to know that assistance is available at nearby animal shelters.
She said: "Homelessness can really happen to anyone, and there's a lot of stigma and assumptions that come with cases like these, but you really never know who you're going to encounter and what they're dealing with."
Furthermore, Mann stated: "If you're a pet owner that is experiencing hardship and needs assistance with your pet, reach out to your local animal shelter and see what they can do and what they can offer to help you. "We're not the only shelter in town or even in the country that offers pet food pantries and assistance with programs."
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