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Crittergal Rescue |
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Volunteer helps save animals lives
MARION — Williamson County officials speak highly of the low dog euthanasia rate at Williamson County Animal Control Shelter. One of the reasons they cite for it is the work of volunteers like Candy DeZutti-Thomas of Carterville. “She is a great asset to the community,” said Animal Control Supervisor Terry Watts about DeZutti-Thomas who has established her own non-profit charity, Crittergal Rescue, to help find animal rescue shelters for dogs to prevent euthanasia. “I do what I can to keep animals moving and from being euthanized,” DeZutti-Thomas said about her visits to the county shelter on Skyline Drive at least twice a week to keep abreast of new arrivals and other developments. “Animals moving” is a key term as it incorporates moving dogs from the shelter to other locations like licensed no-kill facilities and eventually, permanent homes. The term also relies on exposure as DeZutti-Thomas takes pictures of dogs in the shelter and posts with different resources for their assistance. “I reach out to organized groups throughout the state. I don’t have a shelter. I will make all arrangements for transport,” DeZutti-Thomas said. She travels one day out of the week in her own vehicle, transporting dogs to Mount Vernon where they board a van that travels to Chicago where licensed no-kill shelter people take dogs and deliver them to permanent homes. “We’re in a rural area with a lower proportion of humans to animals. There’s a surplus of dogs. With more people in locations north of here, more options are available and the likelihood of finding permanent homes is greater,” DeZutti-Thomas said. She is willing to pay also out of her own pocket for medicines and vaccinations for infectious diseases “that every animal needs to have and to meet rescue group acceptance protocol. They are very stringent.” The dog rescue business as a whole operates on a “shoestring budget,” DeZutti-Thomas said, noting that donations are important. DeZutti-Thomas got grounded early in her life for her current work helping dogs and other animals such as cats. “I’ve always loved animals and give much credit to my parents who showed me how it is to be socially conscious. As I got older, I empowered myself to do what I could do,” she said. She began volunteering with Williamson Animal Control Shelter in 2006 after looking at euthanasia rates throughout the state that she described as “shocking.” DeZutti-Thomas seeks no accolades for her work. What pleases her most is seeing more people become responsible pet owners. “Many of the pets here at the shelter had irresponsible owners. They are domestic pets who were abandoned. The county officers here are trying to recycle these pets. They are picking up the pieces,” DeZutti-Thomas said. scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com 618-351-5076
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