When you love animals as much as Carol, you find a way to care for those in need. “I love animals and taking care of them. When I was a junior in high school, I told my dad I wanted to be a vet. He said that wasn’t a job for girls.” 

Now, Carol farms and ranches but spends her free time volunteering at Wolf Point Pound Puppies on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana, which receives support through Reservation Animal Rescue (RAR), a program of Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA). Carol vaccinates animals during home visits and at spay and neuter clinics. Through the RAR program, Pound Puppies receives vaccines, spay/neuter support and other items like dog food and cleaning supplies.  

“This is a low-income area, and people run out of their pet’s food before the next paycheck.” In 2019, every sixth Native American family was living below the federal poverty level. In 2022, this situation has worsened, and, in one poll, 69 percent of Native Americans report being severely affected by inflation. 

Carol currently homes 27 cats and three dogs from Pound Puppies, and they roam around her ranch on the reservation. She describes herself as a “foster failure,” because she can’t turn away animals in need. We like to think of her as a successful adopter!  

One of her cats, Toasty, is alive and well thanks to Carol’s big heart and support from the shelter. Just before Thanksgiving 2018, Toasty had a different home in Poplar, Montana. The cat fell into an oven, and the owner called Pound Puppies for help. Carol took her to a vet in Glasgow, Montana, 70 miles away. Toasty had “first and third-degree burns on over 50% of her body – legs, face and tummy. She burned off all her facial hair, whiskers and most hair off her legs and feet.” At the time, Toasty was 10-12 weeks old. 

Carol brought her home to temporarily foster her. “I needed to keep an eye on Toasty and change her bandages twice a day. She was so good when I changed them… like she knew I was helping her.”  

The pair fell in love. “Two days after I brought her home, I decided to keep her. Even my husband said it was okay to break the rule of having only two cats in the house.”  

Toasty wore bandages for a month after the accident. “She healed perfectly fine aside from some scars. The poor baby had a will to survive!” Four years later, Toasty is a happy cat who loves lounging. “She loves the beanbag, the heated bed and snuggling.” 

Carol loves Toasty and her other animals from Pound Puppies. When she can, she also fosters cats and dogs until they can find permanent homes. “I appreciate the vaccinations and puppy pads.” 

Carol has a message for RAR donors, “We’re willing to work as hard as it takes to get this work done, as long as we have equipment and materials. We have other jobs, and we give up time with family and friends. We do it because we want to get things done.”  

Your support to RAR helps shelters like Wolf Point Pound Puppies help cats like Toasty find their forever home.