We have seen quite a few powerful monsoons this summer and as the rain, wind, and dust subside, our community faces the destruction left behind. A few weeks ago, Marliyn’s entire fence was torn down by the strong gusts during a storm and she was left with an urgent need to secure her yard to keep her dog safe.

The next day, Marilyn spent her savings buying materials to install a chain link fence and got to work building. Despite her diligence, her 16-year-old Poodle mix, Zippy, slipped through a small gap and quickly became lost.

Zippy originally belonged to Marilyn’s mother who found her as a stray when she was just a puppy. When Marilyn could not afford to put her mom and Zippy in an assisted living facility that accepted pets, she bought a small mobile home nearby for them to live in because she knew they simply had to stay together. Loyal and loving Zippy remained by her mother’s side providing comfort until her very last day.

Last week, Marilyn walked through the shelter looking for Zippy. Sure enough, she found her sweet senior girl sitting quietly in a kennel, searching each passing face hoping to see Marilyn. The moment their eyes met was a sight to see- cue the waterworks!

Tears of joy quickly turned into tears of heartbreak when Marilyn heard the total of the return to owner fees, an unexpected cost of over $300.00 that she could simply not afford. She counted out the thirty-nine dollars in her pocket and was distraught at the thought of losing her family member, and connection to her mother, again.

Thanks to you – our compassionate supporters – there was still hope for Zippy’s safe return home.

You helped by covering Zippy’s return to owner fees so that she could leave the shelter with Marilyn and live out the rest of her dog days happily at home, where she belongs! As they left the shelter, little Zippy was all wags and ruffs and Marilyn could not hold back her tears of gratitude.

After 16 years, Zippy has plenty of knowledge when it comes to the importance of friendship so from Zippy, Marilyn, and all of us at The Arizona Pet Project, thank you for being a friend who makes supporting families and saving pet lives possible!