The BuckHawk Center, Inc. Animal Rescue

In March, 2002, a small group of folks sat around a kitchen table and hashed out a set of by-laws to govern our new organization. We were volunteers then with a passion for helping animals in need. Nothing about that has changed.

We incorporated in the State of Missouri for the purpose of rescuing animals in need, providing rehabilitation where possible, returning animals to the wild or placing them in loving homes, or giving them a permanent home with us when other placement was not possible. We also wanted to provide education to those wishing it. The BuckHawk Center is a 501(c)(3) organization.

The BuckHawk Center, Inc., is located on beautiful hills in the Ozarks Mountains of Southern Missouri. We have grazing land for a small herd of horses and cows, ponds for ducks and water fowl and numerous large fenced yards for dogs. We even added a house for our three elderly chickens and their rooster. There is a large house on the property, built to allow permanent caregivers a home as well as to provide office and meeting space for the BuckHawk.

The official BuckHawk website is: www.buckhawk.org. There you can gain more info about us, meet some of our adoptable dogs and read their story, learn about our education programs and fund-raising efforts, as well as offer a donation - always welcome.

A group photo...we're trying. It's harder than it sounds. All of us at the BuckHawk are volunteers who give whatever time we can to help out. It's rare when we have very many volunteers in the same place at the same time. Some give their time only during summer, when so much needs to be done. Some give up all or part of their weekends while others give time during the week.

I'm the Center Director, Susan Kennedy, and the main contact for the BuckHawk. I'm also the only full-time (does 100 hours a week count as full-time?) volunteer. But let me add the names of so many others:

Barbara, Paul, Jeannie, Alyson, Mathew, Bridget, Lori, Ranae, Dan, Katrina, Graci, Reanna, Matt, Kristie, Dayva, Sandy, Mark, Dave, Lauren, Gina and Cheryl. We now welcome Kerri, who has been helping us train our "pit bull" mixes for basic walks, good manners, and confidence to be happy adjusted pets. And thanks to Randy for all of his support and his great fence-building talent.

Although dogs are by far our most popular rescues, we also have many cats, a few chickens, and a few "others" become BuckHawk rescues. Four baby squirrels were delivered to us by a local logger last spring.

That's me in the photo, feeding one of the baby squirrels. (Now, can't you tell just what I look like?)

Last sighting of the now grown squirrels - playing tag in a tree by the house, all four!

Our routine is hectic at times. The mornings are usually taken up with "office work" but the afternoons are devoted to the animals. It's a regular routine that everyone knows well (the animals especially). Good, nutricious food and fresh water are first priorities, then some good old-fashioned scratching behind the ears and rubbing bellies. A good scratch over the hindquarters is usually added. A game of fetch for those who like it, and a good brushing especially for the long-haired ones.

The chickens, of course, refuse the brushing, but they don't mind the attention, too much.

Most of the dogs are in outside yards with houses that measure 6 ft x 6 ft by 5 feet tall. They are grouped in small packs which are monitored for "getting along-ness."
Each dog has spent some time being an inside dog, joining us in the house to live, eat and sleep. They cycle in for training, extra attention, medical care if necessary and education on how to be a good house pet. Four of them are currently residents with us, a Great Dane, a Sheltie, a Terrier mix and a Yorkie. Yes, life is interesting around here!

The cats all reside inside. And each of the six has his/her own special routine. All love to dose in the sun, but Lexie has to be part of the office when I'm working at "office stuff." As I write this lens, she is sleeping on the printer. Cinder thoroughly believes my bed is her bed. And, Dolby, our only boy cat, prowls the house, doing his job as "mouser extrodinaire."

Great, great and wonderful. We want most for each animal to go to a loving home.

We only ask 2 things of our adopters. First, that you understand what it means to have a pet in your life. That includes a strong commitment to their well-being for the rest of their lives. Second, that we get the right match between you and the animal you are interested in. We are strongly against impulse adoption. The idea of "oh, isn't that one cute. I'll take her." Pets are a part of your life and the right match into your life will help assure a life-long love.

At BuckHawk, we spend alot of time with all the pets. We get to know things about them. Things like their personality, their temperment, even whether they like to ride in a car!

Too many pets are turned into shelters or abandoned because they just didn't fit into their owners' lives. We don't want any of our animals to become another statistic.

So we'll talk to you, find out about your life, what you like to do, how much time you can really devote to things like grooming, exercise, play. Are you a couch potato, who wants a pet to curl up with you and watch TV? Are you a camper who loves to hike and wants that great companion to join you? Do you have that 9 year-old son who adores dogs and wants his own?

To have a happy match between you and your pet is our true goal. That's why we spend time writing details about the pets. What are they really like to have around the house? We've had them around the house, each one, and we know. We even know where they loved to be scratched the most!

Find our most current adoptables on Petfinders.com, Adopt-A-Pet.com, Save-A-Dog (facebook) and Pets911. And share with us on Facebook, either as a fan of the BuckHawk Center or as a friend to me - Susan Kennedy.

I want to share with you something that happened to me this morning. It says alot about the way we feel about our adoptions.

Several months ago, we received 2 small boxer dogs. They appeared to be brothers and were the thinnest dogs I had ever seen. A quick trip to the vet showed us that they both basically healthy considering how skinny they were. We named them Mason and Dixson. Mason was definitely the weaker of the two and needed much extra help. I called a Boxer-lover I knew and she immediately fell for this poor boy. Under her TLC, Mason has blossomed and gained weight. He is in excellent hands.

Dixson stayed with us at BuckHawk. He gained weight, learned the routine, and became "Uncle Dixson" to 5 lab/hound puppies. In true Boxer fashion, he has been wonderfully entertaining with his comedic ways.

Several potential adopters called about him and one even scheduled to come meet him. But, alas, none worked out. So Dixson remained with us. This morning 2 emails awaited me, both about Dixson. My heart soared.

The first one was a single line: How much do you want for your boxer? That's it. My heart sank. If that's all they care about, this will not be a good match. Adopting a dog is not purchasing a dog. It is a life-long commitment to love and care for the dog, no matter the cost. Now, I understand many very loving dog people can have financial issues. When cost is the only question, I get suspicious.

The second email was what caused my heart to soar again. This adopter told me of their previous Boxer, who had passed only a month ago after 11 wonderful years as their only pet. She continued with how much they missed him, but were now ready to bring another Boxer into their lives. She sent me her phone numbers and asked that I contact her as soon as I could. Not once was cost even mentioned.

Such a contrast in emails. Needless to say, I will definitely follow-up with the second email. I didn't ignore the first email, but I did let him know that besides cost, we need to have, at minimum, a phone conversation.

Not all people are willing to tell their life history in an initial contact email, I realize. But, if they are not even willing to talk to me further, then we do not have an adoption. We do not place animals in homes that we can't have some reasonable assurance that home is a good one.

Bailey, a purebreed Red Bone Coonhound, found his way to BuckHawk Center via a caring lady who just couldn't stand to see him suffering. And suffering he was. After a lengthy trip to our vet, we learned that Bailey's previous owner had attempted to neuter him without benefit of a vet. The job was botched in many ways and left him with badly infected testicles. He also had both heartworms and tick disease. The decision to put this handsome boy through the pain it would take to cure his heartworm, not to mention the cost of the treatment, was a hard one. But, it took only moments. You see, Bailey also has a failed attempt at docking his tail. That attempt left him with a bent tail that is basically useless. He may not be able to wag his tail, but he shows his happiness by wagging his entire backend. And that's exactly what he did to make the decision easier!

Bailey has been through his treatment, and a massive campaign went out to raise the funds necessary to pay his bill. Even a Squidoo lens was created to help - Saving Bailey Here you can find his whole story, plus the agonizing decision.

This handsome guy is worth all the effort! Bailey is a wonderful companion and a happy well-adjusted guy. I have discovered a new "trick" of his. When I am giving him some well-deserved attention, especially scratching his neck, Bailey gives me a return hug, by laying his head against my arm. He is a young guy and such a treat to have around, leaving us with the surety that we made the right decision for him.

GREAT UPDATE: Bailey has is own home! He was adopted by a wonderful couple who know and love Redbone Coonhounds and fell hard for Bailey and his story. BTW - Bailey fell for them, too!

Just click on your favorite to get one!

Such a darling cutie (DC) dog came to BuckHawk. A good samaritan rescued black Lab/Corgi mix and brought her to us. She needed medical care pretty darn quick. Through examination and x-ray, we discovered that she had been shot with buckshot numerous times. One particular load landed in her ankle. Our vet decided that surgery was in order.

So I waited nervously for the post-surgery call. When it came I learned that surgery was not performed. Instead, he tried a relatively new treatment for her. It was an injection of free-radical consuming stuff. (Ok, I'm not real good with the medical jargon.) As he discovered, the pieces of buckshot that were in her ankle were too numerous and too close together. If he removed them, there would be too little of her bones left.

DC responded very well to this treatment and gained the use of her leg again. The second injection, which came several weeks later, improved her movement even more. In fact, she began to run! This was a first for this little 8-month-old puppy. What a treat to finally see this darling girl become a true puppy and such a happy one at that.

It took a little while for her recovery time, but finally came just what we were waiting for. Little DC has gone to her own home!.

A wonderful, loving family has adopted DC. They live close to BuckHawk and on a large plot of land. They've had experience with special needs dogs and a good relationship with a good vet. DC is in a home with a 10 year old boy and 2 other rescued dogs, but she and her "Mom" immediately became great friends. They call it a "match made in heaven." And we couldn't agree more.

BuckHawk and DC thank all of you for your great support and wonderful well wishers! This is the kind of success story that makes all the heartache we suffer worth it.