Jamie saves pets who might otherwise have no hope!
Each of us has something to give to this world— animals included. When Jamie Mcatee was laid off, she wondered what she would do next. But then she discovered an incredible new purpose: providing loving homes for pets!
Jamie Mcatee held her head in her hands and sighed. Having been laid off from her job at a mortgage company, Jamie felt lost. In her early 30s, she’d never not worked. And though she had years of experience, with the country in a recession, nobody was hiring.
What am I going to do with my life now? she wondered.
New purpose
Frustrated
and depressed, Jamie realized she needed a positive change.
All her life, she’d loved animals. So she signed up to volunteer at a local Spokane, Washington, shelter.
Maybe if I take the dogs for walks and rub some kitty ears, the animals will be happier and so will I, she thought. But on her first day, Jamie was cautioned not to touch four kittens because they had severe ringworm, a highly contagious fungal skin disease.
In fact, because of the infection, shelter workers had been unable to find the kittens a foster home— and without one, they could be euthanized.
Jamie’s heart ached. And, suddenly, she found herself saying, “I’ll take them!”
Jamie converted a spare bedroom into a cozy quarantine with a cat tree, kitty condo and scratching post. And though caring for the kittens— gently bathing them while wearing gloves and disinfecting everything again and again—was a challenge, soon each was healthy and adopted!
Not long after, an eight-monthold pit bull/lab mix was brought into the shelter.
Honey was so shy and scared, she shook from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail. But being part pit bull made placing her difficult.
“Let her come home with me,” Jamie offered. And once there, the pup began trotting happily on walks!
Loving her too much to let her go, Jamie adopted Honey. But there were still so many dogs and cats languishing in shelters, so she created Rescue4 All (Rescue4all. org) to foster and find homes for hard-toplace dogs and cats with age, health or behavioral issues.
350 miracles—and counting!
Soon, Rescue4all was making a difference for pets like Daddy. While his owner, who had been arrested, had terrorized the young pit bull—illegally breeding him and training him to be vicious—the pup still sat in his cage, wagging his tail.
“Sadly, he’s due to be euthanized,” a shelter worker told Jamie, who refused to let that happen. She brought him home, where he became fast friends, chasing balls, with her golden retriever/poodle mix, Weston.
For Hitch, born with megaesophagus— a dangerous enlargement of the esophagus— eating was nearly impossible.
“We’ll take good care of you,” Jamie cooed to the tiny Australian cattle pup.
At feeding time, Jamie had to keep Hitch vertical, giving him syringes of rice milk and protein supplements the consistency of mashed potatoes. Yet Hitch still couldn’t tolerate food.
Eventually, though, a veterinary specialist installed a special eating tube— and Hitch began to thrive, dancing around the other dogs!
Ruthie, a boxer pup, was born with a cleft lip and palate. Although Jamie feared that might deter potential adopters, when Kari and Isaac Grambo saw her picture, they just knew Ruthie was meant to be theirs.
“I dreamed of this pup!” Kari cried. And Isaac—born with a cleft lip himself—fell immediately in love.
To date, Jamie has saved over 350 animals.
There’s Dudley, an almost completely blind and deaf chow mix who loves to give kisses. And Walter the wiener dog who had anemia, abscesses and severely infected teeth. Each one’s journey is different. Some stay a short time; for others, Rescue4all is their “fur”ever home.
“I never imagined losing my job would turn out to be such a blessing—for me and so many animals,” Jamie beams. “Every night, when I think about the precious lives I’ve saved . . . I know I’ve never done anything more satisfying or rewarding!”
— Kristin Higson-hughes
“Our perfect companions never have fewer feet.” than four SIDONIE GABRIELLE COLETTE