Death Row Animals Have Savior In Tess

Tess Talley set one foot on her deck and nine dogs whipped into a fevered frenzy of fur.

The dogs - which ranged in size from ankle biter to bear-like - darted here and there, excited to see Talley.

They had good reason. All have been rescued from Spokane County Animal Control’s doggie death row.

Five of the dogs are ones Talley fosters as part of the Pet Rescue program, which finds homes for animals slated to be euthanized at the animal shelter.

Besides the dogs, two cats, a bird, a guinea pig and a rabbit roam the hallways, rooms and cages throughout Talley’s Newman Lake home.

“We used to have fish, but it was a little too much if you can imagine that,” Talley joked.

Every Monday and Tuesday for the last three years, the 29-year-old mother of two drives to the animal shelter to choose the animals she will take into foster care. Animals that have exhausted the seven to 10 days they are allowed to stay at the shelter are euthanized every Wednesday.

Talley, now a Pet Rescue board member, became involved with the organization a couple of weeks after her sister, Kelly, founded the group with a friend. Her love for animals and a lack of understanding of euthanasia as an answer to overcrowding at the animal shelter sparked her interested.

“You get the satisfaction of knowing that you saved a life,” Talley said, but admitted frustration at knowing she can’t save all of the animals.

“I will go home and cry myself to sleep because I know there are some I can’t save,” she said.

On Fridays and Saturdays - the two days each week Pet Rescue runs its ad in The Spokesman-Review - the phone rings off the hook at Talley’s house.

The average stay in foster care for an animal is not long - two to five weeks - but just long enough to become attached.

“Every time one leaves, a piece of your heart goes with it,” Talley said. “You take it from the shelter and at the same time save its life and help acclimate it back into family life. And then it is gone.”

Although the non-profit organization rescues pets of all kinds, Talley has a soft spot for dogs. When she first started, as many as 20 dogs at a time would call Talley’s house home. Talley estimated over 500 dogs have run through her yard while awaiting adoption.

“We had dogs everywhere - downstairs and in the bathroom,” Talley laughed.

Talley keeps about half that many at one time these days, but still goes through 50 pounds of dog food a week.

Also normal for Talley is the daily duty of scooping up after the dogs. For this chore she gets a little help from her 3-year-old son, Alex.

“He has his little shovel and I have my big one,” Talley said. “It’s a daily job. If you let it go, you’ll be out there a long time.”

Keeping up inside the house can be just as demanding. She is constantly fixing one thing and replacing another.

And the carpets? They get vacuumed daily. And for the days when they need a little more, Talley owns her own carpet cleaner.

“That’s a must,” she said.

Enough animal toys to fill a toy box are spread throughout the house. She has piles of blankets for dog beds, two giant dog houses and a doggiedesignated, carpeted garage.

Talley is no stranger to dogs, having had at least one around all of her life.

“I’ve never not had a dog.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Saturday’s People is a column featuring remarkable Valley people. To suggest subjects for future columns, please call editor Mike Schmeltzer at 927-2170.