The note spoke in tones of heartbreak. Handwritten, scrawled messily on scuffed paper, the words told of misfortunes piled atop misfortunes.
Staff members of the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society (FAPS) found that desperate letter attached to a makeshift crate on their doorstep.
Inside the crate were little furry faces, adorable puppy dog eyes, and tiny wagging tails. The cuddly balls of black fur looked alive yet showed signs of malnutrition.
“Emotionally, they were surprisingly social and in good spirits,” FAPS Executive Director Jackie Peery told The Epoch Times, adding that the staff were “stunned to find five abandoned puppies.”
The handwritten note, she said, unpacked “a story of compassion in the face of hardship.”
But the immediate task before them was to ensure the wellbeing of their canine patients. Each would require enhanced nutrition, deworming, and vaccination.
In the post, they included photos of cute faces with button noses. In addition, there were photos of the letter, allowing the community to read their heartbreaking backstory.
The note read:
Ms. Peery told the newspaper that she and her team were touched deeply by the homeless man’s story, adding that his identity remains a mystery.
“The only information we have about the puppies comes from the note left by an unnamed man,” she said.
On the Facebook post, the group extended an offer to the anonymous man: “If you’re up for it, please swing by the shelter to visit the puppies and to get a proper thank you!”
Ms. Peery told The Epoch Times, “It was heartrending to learn that despite his limited means, he cared for the stray mother dog and took action to save the puppies during adverse weather.”
She said, “Currently, they are piled on one another, happy, with full bellies, taking a morning nap in a warm bed in their kennel.”
The now 8-week-old puppies will go up for adoption on Feb. 1. Ms. Peery says she expects they will find homes quickly, but their case underscores just how many other needy animals in their care are still waiting to find their forever homes.
The shelter expresses appreciation to the community for the support it has given. FAPS operates entirely without government funding, Ms. Peery said. Ensuring that homeless animals are well taken care of and get the treatments they need can be costly.
“We rely entirely on donations to continue our work in saving animals,” she said.
FAPS was founded in 1982 by a group of women who shared a concern for animal welfare. The group is the only no-kill, nonprofit shelter operating in the Fayetteville and Fort Liberty areas. To date, it has rescued tens of thousands of animals.
