An animal shelter in Pennsylvania experienced its very own "Christmas miracle" following the theft of 500 pounds of donated pet food.
Liz Jones, the CEO and founder of PA Caring Hearts told Newsweek that a donation of Freshpet dog food was stolen from a freezer less than 24 hours after being donated. The food has proved popular with the senior dogs they look after because it is "easy to digest and nutritious."
Jones estimated that around $1,400 worth of dog food was taken from the charity's senior animal facility, Cherished Friends, in Germansville during the raid.
"We have a number of senior dogs in permanent foster homes where they get lots of love, and we help provide food and medical care," she said. "I called up one of our senior fosters and invited him to come for a load of Freshpet. He came the next day. He was the one who let me know that the freezer was essentially empty."
Staff were stunned to find the facility had been raided, with the food stores left virtually empty.
Though Jones was able to provide the foster carer with an alternative supply, the theft left the shelter facing a shortfall in supplies over the winter months.
Christmas can be a difficult time for rescue pets with many facing spending the holiday season in the shelter rather than with a family. It's particularly true of senior pets who can often find it harder to land that new forever home they all so desperately want and need.
A 2015 study conducted by Priceonomics highlighted these struggles. Using data compiled from the adoption website Petfinder, researchers found that while 95 percent of puppies on the site found new homes, that proportion dropped to 68 percent among senior dogs.
But the dogs at Cherished Friends and across the PA Caring Hearts network have reason to feel a little more cheerful about the festive break after the theft sparked a wave of pet food and monetary donations to the shelter.
"PetSmart, the public and other food distributors are very generously helping replace the food," Jones said. "We have gotten monetary donations from as far away as Louisiana, Wisconsin and beyond. Food is arriving at our doorstep. People are calling to ask what they can do."
After falling victim to what she describes as a "dastardly" act of crime, Jones has been blown away by the "outpouring of care" she's witnessed in response to it.
It's made her believe there may truly be a Santa Claus with the shelter CEO branding the efforts a "Christmas miracle."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
