Nine years after ‘Miss Matters’ animal rescue group still going

RED OAK — Jan Black easily recalls how she got involved in animal rescues. A stray cat, dubbed “Miss Matters” hung around the business district where she worked. Little did she realize in 2001 her concern about the cat would lead to hours of volunteer work, probably for the rest of her life. 

The stray was nobody’s cat. Since her eyes were mattered, observers nicknamed her “Miss Matters.” Before long, Miss Matters had friends expecting to see her.

Then Miss Matters disappeared. Days passed and people began wondering what had happened to her.

About a week later, a couple boys discovered Miss Matters was in a live trap in a nearby garage. 

“She had been without food and water for several days. It’s against the law to leave an animal in a live trap for more than 24 hours,” Black said, “so we called the law.”

The community got involved. A meeting was set up at Montgomery County YMCA, and 50-60 people showed up to settle how stray animals should be handled.

Among the outcomes was the current email list and a few volunteers who would be notified if more strays were captured by animal control workers, area county sheriff departments, city workers or others discovering an animal in need of shelter or, as is sometimes the case, for intervention because of health risks.

“We were called to help (law enforcement and other animal rescue workers) with the removal of, I believe it was 153 animals (at a residence in Montgomery County) a short time later,” Black said. Some animals could be spared by working with other shelters, but not all could be placed because of limited space. Some had to be euthanized.

The volunteers were called to the same residence a second time a couple years later.

“The second time I know we took away 190 cats, dogs, chickens, wolf-hybrids, all kinds of animals,” she said, adding they were prepared to document their work that time.

Several of those animals had to be euthanized because of their physical or behavioral condition after barely surviving in unhealthy conditions. Black still remembers how pathetic it was to see the pile of carcasses in an area at the fair grounds that could have been spared if intervention had occurred earlier.

“We live in a disposable society,” Black said to explain why she and the “loose knit” group of primarily six or seven others are now contacted when local residents or law enforcement officers have strays needing someone to care for them. She admits they could use more volunteers.

Black gets past the images of euthanized neglected animals by knowing her success stories. She has several.

One “successful dog placement” was featured in the Red Oak Express last summer during the Montgomery County Fair when a shelter dog was approved as a last minute entry and won his new master a purple ribbon.

But there are other success stories, too. Four strays now work as service dogs.

“Buddy was picked up by someone along the interstate,” Black says about a black lab working now in Nashville, Tenn. To give the stray a happy ending, though, caring people had to intervene. Volunteers handling him saw Buddy’s potential, spent time contacting all the right people, and, eventually loaded him up to begin the transport chain that took Buddy to his final destination and assignment in Nashville. Black said when there are enough volunteers, most only have to transport a dog 60 miles or less. She continued telling of other good placements.

“I could talk about this all day. There’s Rocket, a Southwest Iowa arson dog. Alfie’s a drug dog in Percy, Illinois, and we have Goldie working at Red Oak Rehab,” Black said.

She has local success stories, too, for more “ordinary” dogs.

Through cooperative work with area shelters and rescue workers, Black helped place a stray dog with someone dealing with the grief after the loss of a spouse. “It’s a perfect fit,” she said.  

Black knows people can get interested in having pets without being prepared. She knows some treat them as part of the family, but she wants to be sure everyone understand the animals are not children. She believes animals get “dumped” for behavioral problems that almost always could have been avoided.

“They are dogs and cats. They don’t understand words like children. They understand tones of the voice,” she said.

“Dogs are pack animals, establishing a hierarchy to survive. The alpha dog is boss, but in a home, someone has to be the alpha/boss in the dog’s eyes, and it’s not to be the dog.”

Black said cats are more willing to take turns letting another cat assume highest rank. She’s convinced the highest ranking cat literally takes the highest spot in the room.

“I can almost always place puppies and kittens, but really the only answer when we are given animals is to have them spayed or neutered. It’s the only way to control the pet population. It’s not easy to place senior dogs and cats, but it’s much easier to find a place for a dog than for a cat,” she said, “and cats multiply faster.”

To provide financially for the spay and neuter services and other expenses, the volunteer group will host a freewill donation spay-ghetti dinner at First Christian Church on Summit in Red Oak on Feb. 25 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Besides spaghetti with meat sauce, the meal will include a lettuce salad, bread and dessert.

If Black were to compile her group’s “wish list” to more thoroughly care for the strays picked up in the county, they’d like a shelter run by volunteers to house about 35 dogs and 15 cats. As long as it’s wishing, she’d like the shelter to be near highways 71 and 34 to accommodate other counties trying to handle strays. She knows securing the land and building depends largely upon donations.

Besides donations, the group would like to be swamped with volunteers to walk dogs, make phone calls or send out emails to find an opening for a stray, transport animals, and someone to become their webmaster.

And, yes, they occasionally need temporary housing for animals when shelters are all full.

People interested in donating or volunteering are encouraged to contact Jan at 370-0336 or send an email to mcars@mchsi.com, or find the local group through petfinder.com. Their local website is www.adoptourdogs.com.

If you need to report a stray in Red Oak, contact the animal control personnel at the court house. Outside of Red Oak, contact the sheriff’s department or a city worker. Black said her group has established a good relationship with each of these services.

Nearly all strays taken in will be neutered or spayed, which, Black says, actually helps the animals remain healthier with fewer behavioral problems. But those altering and sheltering animals costs tax payers unless either owners become more responsible or increased donations are received.

Animals kept locally vary from day to day. But for those interested in having a four-legged friend now, consider Fiona, a German shepherd puppy, and Sylvester, a “senior” cat, who both are hoping someone’s interested in taking them home.