For all of you who know about People for Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and those of you who do not, we are the board of directors for the Greene County Animal Shelter, a very small 501(c)(3) county shelter located in Jefferson. The majority of our dealings with Greene County’s animals is handling stray cats and dogs, and either returning them to their owners, or preparing them to find loving, forever homes through our adoption program.
We have a foster program, a low-cost spay/neuter program for those who fit the income guidelines, we are actively working on a trap-neuter-return program for feral cats in Jefferson, and we also coordinate our volunteers into various tasks, just to name a few things. Occasionally, we are thrown a big curve ball, and little Boa was just that!
In August of 2020, we received a call about helping with an animal neglect case. Chief deputy Nathaniel Chapman took the call initially, and the Greene County sheriff’s office handled the case and took Boa to the Jefferson Vet Clinic for treatment. Deputy sheriff Brandon Turner then reached out to PAWS to see if we could take Boa into our care.
Little Boa’s owner ultimately pled guilty to animal neglect – no death or serious injury, was fined, and served his time. He knew he had done wrong by his dog; sometimes people have good intentions that get away from them, and that is what happened here. We want to share this story not to persecute Boa’s owner – he paid for his actions – but because this one has a happy ending, and we all know that not all stories do. It also shows just how loving, forgiving, and resilient animals really are!
One thing of interest, and I didn’t find this out until just recently when I was fact-checking for this article – the whole reason Boa was even noticed by anyone was that it was Aug. 10, the day of the horrible derecho storm that hit much of Iowa! Apparently, the door to Boa’s owner’s house was blown open and Boa wandered outside and lay down in the street. This was how he was noticed and eventually made his way to PAWS. So, one of the worst days for so many people became one of Boa’s best days. Isn’t it strange how our world works!
I will tell you, the “before” picture is just horrible, and as you can tell, there was very good reason for this little dog to not be with his owner anymore!
Boa right after being picked up 
Boa’s coat was so matted he had to be shaved
Once Boa had his initial once-over by the vet and got his horribly matted fur shaved off, he went straight into PAWS’ foster program – he never had to spend any time in the shelter. We thought foster care was best option for him due to his age (he is quite elderly) and what he had just been through. PAWS provides food and any meds or vet care needed – our foster care providers don’t have to pay for any of that. All the foster care providers must provide is a safe happy home with lots of love and their time and energy!
His foster mom, Dakota, kept him safely in her home and gave him lots of love, attention, and the care he needed to thrive! He got to wear some stylin’ outfits to keep him warm while his fur grew back, and she even took him to the vet, where he was tested for heartworms – he was thankfully negative – got his rabies shot and was microchipped. He had already been neutered, so that was one positive thing – he wouldn’t have to undergo any surgery at his age.
While in foster care, Boa got to play with other pets in the home, was taken on nice walks and blossomed into a real sweetheart. He was truly loved and living the good life!
Then something really amazing happened!! In October of 2020, someone left a message on the PAWS voicemail that she was looking for an older dog and wondered if we had any. She was an older person herself and didn’t want a younger dog because she didn’t think she could keep up with one.
We didn’t have any dogs at the shelter that fit the bill, but we did have Boa! We put in a call to Dakota to see if she’d like to touch base with this woman, and she gave her a call. This is something we like our fosters to be involved with, because they know the animals in their care so much better than we do and can give a potential owner much better information about them. Dakota let us know how the call went and kept us informed every step of the way. Within a very short time, a meet-and-greet was set up with Dakota, Boa and Judy, the lady interested in adoption.
Well, to make a long story short – Boa never came back to us! Judy absolutely LOVED him, they hit it off well and he was officially on his 2-week trial visit. (PAWS generally does not do same-day adoptions; we do a 2-week trial visit, just to let everyone get acquainted with each other. This helps not only the dog or cat, but the potential owners and other pets in the home. If it works out, fabulous; if it doesn’t, the owners are not stuck with a dog or cat that just isn’t working out; it’s a win-win for everyone.) Anyway, after a couple days of Boa being in Judy’s home, we gave her a call ourselves, just to touch base. She said she absolutely loved him and he wasn’t coming back – just what we hoped to hear.
Little Boa found his forever home and got his happily ever after that he so much deserved!
Boa all dressed up 
Boa in his forever home with Judy, his new owner
This case was rare for us, thankfully! We usually get to deal with dogs that are generally healthy and haven’t been horribly abused or neglected. Boa’s story resonated with all who got involved with him because of the potentially tragic way this could have ended. But due to the care and determination of all involved, Boa is alive and happy and spreading his love to someone who needed him as much as he needed her!
Anyone who wants to learn more about fostering, volunteering, or to donate to us to help fund our programs and help more animals, can call our voicemail at 515-386-9814 and leave a message, email us at pawsofgreenecounty@hotmail.com or you can “like us” on Facebook at PAWS of Greene County. Thank you everyone for caring! ~by Ann Wenthold, longtime PAWS volunteer and board member
