Best Friends received this letter a few days ago. What a great inspiration for anyone and everyone who wants to make a difference.
"We were members of Best Friends for years and because of your information and education we started a rescue. Please visit our web site at www.hoovespaws.org. We are very proud of it.
You helped us in so many ways and gave us so many ideas we hope you like our site. I still reference your site often."
Bill & Genea Stoops
Hooves & Paws Rescue, Inc.
"A Place To Heal"
Glenwood, Iowa
Hooves & Paws Rescue, Inc. is a rescue for horses and large breed dogs. Animals suffering from abuse or neglect are cared for and if possible, rehabilitated so they can be adopted out to forever homes. If an animal can't be adopted out, they live out their lives at the rescue.
A story about the Stoops and Hooves & Paws was published in the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil.
Healing four-legged victimsBy Nicole Weis
GLENWOOD - A place to heal.
It's what a Mills County couple is providing to abused, neglected or unwanted horses and large breed dogs on their 7-acre ranch in rural Glenwood.
Bill and Genea Stoops started Hooves and Paws Rescue in January 2005 after witnessing the dire need for more rescue facilities while volunteering at a local animal shelter. The husband and wife duo moved from Omaha to southwest Iowa and began to take in four-legged creatures shortly thereafter.
One of those animals was AnnaBelle, a 13-year-old Leopard Appaloosa mare who was badly beaten and severely abused by her former owner. The horse was struck in the head by boards, hit in the face with fists and pushed around by its owner before eventually ending up at Hooves and Paws Rescue off of U.S. Highway 34.
It was 10 days before Genea Stoops was able to come near AnnaBelle. But, being an animal lover, she persisted using the old-fashioned TLC method to gain back the animal's trust.
"Right now, she's just a love," said Stoops of AnnaBelle. "But she is still very leery of men because of the abuse."
The ultimate goal of the rescue is to place the horses and large dogs in loving homes following nutritional, behavioral and injury rehabilitation. If an animal is not adoptable, it has a permanent home with the Stoops.
"We keep them 'cause they need a home," said Stoops, who received her first horse when she was 3 years old. "If they stay forever, that's fine. You take that chance. We deal with it."
Euthanasia is an absolute last resort for the animals.
Currently roaming the fields near the Stoops' house are three horses, four large breed dogs - three St. Bernards and one Boxer - and five kittens. Though Genea is allergic to cats, she couldn't turn down the opportunity to take in the felines, whose mother was killed by a car.
"My husband said 'Take them,' and I said, 'OK, I'll just wheeze.'"
To care for so many high-maintenance animals is time consuming. Bill and Genea's routine begins at 3:30 each morning. The couple feeds and grooms the horses before heading out to their full-time jobs in Omaha. Genea's mother watches the pets during the day; but when the Stoops get home, it's back to the grind tending to the animals.
"It seems like a lot, but when you do it, it's different," Stoops said of the rigorous daily schedule. "We save our vacation for rescue instances."
Tending to larger mammals can also be expensive. Though the rescue was is able to receive tax-deductible donations because of its 501(c)(3) status, the money isn't always there.
"If I don't get donations, I still pay for them," said Stoops of the animals' medical bills and food expenses. "I still take care of them. A lot of it is out of pocket."
"We need more donations in order to take care of the animals," she continued. "Care is expensive." In addition to donations, Hooves and Paws is also seeking a corporate sponsorship to obtain more funding in order install fencing for a quarantined area.
Another objective of the rescue is to educate the public to prevent animal abuse.
"We've never been able to figure out why (people abuse animals)," Stoops said. "We think it's just a lack of education. Our goal is to educate people. We want them to keep their animals."
Stoops encourages people with questions about animals to call the rescue at (712) 527-3721 or visit their Web site
www.hoovespaws.org for tips on horses and large breed dogs.
"Those who don't ask, don't know," Stoops said. "They think two flakes is enough for animals, and it's not."
The Stoops also take in elderly horses no longer wanted as companions, as long as the owners donate to the cause or sponsor the animal's care.
"If we can't take the horse, we will transport it (to another rescue)," Stoops said. "We don't take on more horses than we can handle and upkeep."
But they want to know if abuse is happening in Mills County. "If people know an animal that's in trouble, call us," Stoops pleaded. "We'll find a home. We won't let it stay in an abusive situation.
"We don't care why you did it; we're not going to judge you. We just want the animal safe."
Check out Hooves & Paws Rescue at:
Click HereYou'll be glad you did!
Graphic from www.hoovesandpaws.org