Animal lover travels from Tampa to help care for dogs rescued from massive dogfighting ring
September 25, 2013 – Tampa resident and RedRover® volunteer Carol Childs, Ph. D, is traveling this week to an undisclosed location in the southern United States to help care for hundreds of dogs rescued from the second largest dogfighting raid in United States history.
A retired professor by trade and a volunteer with California-based RedRover®, Carol travels around the country at her own expense when abused and neglected animals need help. Carol will be cleaning and assembling cages, preparing meals and caring for the dogfighting victims. This is not Carol’s first deployment to a large animal rescue; she has been practicing disaster response for over 30 years and has helped in large-scale animal cruelty cases and other disasters, including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Carol completed her emergency sheltering training and became a RedRover Responders volunteer in 2006. “Once you see the difference your effort makes and that you are capable of changing lives, you are destined to help the rest of your life,” Carol said. “I learn and grow each time I give of myself and I become a bit better too.”
Like many RedRover Responders volunteers, Carol spends her free time helping animals in her community. She runs a mobile spay/neuter clinic and has laid the foundation for many nonprofit animal rescues in her area. Typical of a RedRover Responders volunteer, Carol is taking time away from her work, family and friends to travel and take care of these animals at her own cost.
“We are especially fortunate to send such an experienced and diverse group of volunteers on this deployment,” said RedRover CEO and President Nicole Forsyth. “Such a large and sensitive case calls for volunteers with excellent skills and experience, and we are confident that Carol and this group of RedRover Responders volunteers will go above and beyond for these dogs.”
The multi-state dogfighting raid took place after a three-year investigation initiated by the Auburn Police Department in Alabama, in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The ASPCA and The Humane Society of the United States rescued and transported a total of 367 dogs to an ASPCA temporary shelter location, which remains confidential due to the criminal nature of the seizure.
At the request of the ASPCA, RedRover will be deploying a team of volunteers to provide daily care for the canines seized in the case. The rescued dogs will receive ongoing care during the duration of the legal proceedings and then placed appropriately with various animal welfare agencies and rescue groups once the court determines the custody of the dogs.