Page 11 of Taming Georgia

A plump woman in a bright blue sweatshirt with embroidered kittens all over it comes walking toward me. The cats on her shirt even have fuzzy yarn tails that sway as she approaches.

“You’ll have to forgive him. He has no manners. Nicest boy you’ll ever meet…zero manners. Isn’t that right, Coops?”

The brown-and-black brindle pit bull turns toward cat shirt lady and licks her.

“Is he the Cooper of Cooper’s Place?” I ask her.

“Sure is. The boss rescued him from a life of dog fighting in the projects of Ypsilanti. They’ve been inseparable since. Cooper here is why this place was started. I’m Ethel, by the way.” She extends her hand.

“Georgia.” I shake her hand.

“Our new volunteer, Georgia? Well, just wonderful! So glad to have you here.”

“I’m excited to begin,” I tell her truthfully.

“Let me give you a tour and get you started,” she says.

I follow her with Cooper at my side. My first impression of this shelter is that it’s pretty posh and not what I’d expect of a pit bull rescue. The building seems new, and everything is clean. The place is huge with tiled flooring throughout. A large, abstract painting of a dog that looks a lot like Cooper hangs on the back wall of the first room.

“Is that Cooper?” I ask Ethel of the painting.

“It sure is. One of Kenny’s creations. He was so talented, our Kenny.” Ethel’s voice is suddenly thick with sadness, and I get the impression that the artist is no longer living.

Ethel clears her throat and motions toward the burly dog prancing beside me. “Normally, you wouldn’t find Cooper anywhere besides by his daddy’s side. However, the boss doesn’t usually take Cooper out on rescues. The dogs he’s picking up are scared and confused. Cooper could get hurt if a fight were to break out. But as you can see, he has the run of this place, and he’s really good with all the dogs once they get used to his obnoxious charm.”

“So, he’s out on a rescue now?”

“Yes. He got a call this morning about a starving pregnant girl out by the tracks in Detroit. The mama dogs are always the hardest to catch. They’ll do anything to protect their future puppies. In the picture he received of her, she was nothing but skin and bones and belly. Poor thing. I really hope he gets her.”

The vast room where the kennels are located has a cement floor and painted cinder-block walls. It’s different than the previous room, starker. I’m assuming the bare, simplistic quality of it makes it easier to clean. Yet, despite the hard surfaces, it’s still about as cozy as a room with metal cages can get. Each kennel is made so that the dog has an inside space and a doggy door with access to an outside area.

“As you can see, all the dogs can be indoors or outdoors, but we still take them on walks twice a day and let them run in the open play yard as well. We try to get them as much exercise as possible. Pit bulls are terriers by nature and have lots of energy. They love to run, dig, and chew.”

“So, you only have pit bulls here?” I ask.

“No. We started as a pit bull rescue, but we can’t turn away any dog that needs our help. We do have more bully breeds than not because they’re hard to adopt out. There’s still such a stigma around them. Also, we rescue a lot of pit bulls that are going to be euthanized in other shelters.”

“Do you take in cats?” I ask, peering toward her shirt, causing her to laugh.

“No, we don’t technically take cats. Though I’ve been unable to turn them down when asked, which is why we have a handful of office cats, much to the boss’s displeasure. I also foster many cats at my house until I can find them homes.”

I nod toward Ethel’s shirt. “Well then, your shirt makes sense.” I smile at her.

She throws her head back in laughter, leaving me to wonder what I said that was so funny.

“Oh no, dear. I’m wearing this hideous shirt to drive the boss man crazy. You see, he’s a bit of a grump, and it drives him insane when I wear these obnoxious, gaudy outfits…especially ones with cats on them. So, I’ve made it my mission to collect the ugliest feline-related clothing I can just for work.”

I can’t help but laugh with her. “That’s great.”

“It is. Annoying him really makes my day.” She shakes her head, grinning. “I’m going to be honest with you. Working in a rescue is really hard. Your heart will be broken more often than not. If I can do my part to break up the bad with a little humor, then I’m going to do it.”

I can tell that I’m going to adore working with Ethel. She’s one of those people you can’t help but love.

“Let’s get your paperwork filled out and get you to work, shall we?”

“Yes. Do I get to meet some of your office cats?” I ask her.

She huffs out a laugh. “They won’t let you avoid them; that’s for sure. They’re social little buggers.”

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