A.D. Williams said “When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being, I see a friend, I see a soul.” Wendy Jones, founder of the non-profit Tahoe Paws and TLC 4 Furry Friends located in South Lake Tahoe, California is a human who uses her superpowers of connecting with animals to help find the ones that are lost so they can return to home.
“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” Orhan Pamuk
Wendy has always had a connection with animals. Just like Antonio Madrigal in the movie Encanto, who had the ability to communicate with animals, Wendy’s ability to speak animal language comes naturally. Animals trust her and she gets them. How Tahoe Paws unfolded for Wendy is she was working in the medical field providing care for humans when a dog went missing after a car accident. Using her intuition and tracking knowledge, Wendy located the dog and returned it to the owner. After that experience people began reaching out to her for help in finding their missing dogs. Wendy, who also has a knowledge base and connection to wildlife because of working with bears, coyotes, and raccoons, would do what she could to help. Her knowledge of how to find missing dogs increased while she was volunteering and giving of her personal time to find lost dogs.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall
Three years ago a couple who had recently adopted a Boston Terrier had their dog go missing in the back country where they were camping and hiking at Burnside Lake in California. The dog’s owners contacted Wendy for help, so she hiked in to help them, giving them support and equipment to find the dog. After 13 days the people located their dog, who had traveled quite a distance. To show their gratitude the couple offered to build a website and help Wendy promote her business. Wendy does not charge a fee to help people find their dogs. She refuses to charge a fee because she wants her help to be available to everyone. Wendy’s passion is helping to find missing animals. The couple then suggested she turn her rescue into a non-profit. One thing led to another which led to another. In a short period of time all the necessary components came together and Tahoe Paws became an official non-profit.
“Sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts.” Unknown
Wendy had been funding everything from her own pocket. She works full-time caring for humans while supporting and helping people all over the world find their missing animals. It is a challenge for her to financially support Tahoe Paws. Search and rescue of missing dogs involves equipment and training. Sometimes cameras, which are monitored 24/7 by Wendy, are placed in strategic areas for possible sighting of the lost dog. In addition Wendy has completed the training and certification necessary to set up a community animal response team (CART) to provide “education to communities to be prepared to evacuate with their animals for when an emergency or disaster happens.” CART will evacuate animals, set up shelter to care for animals during and after a disaster. People from all over the world have reached out to Wendy for help. She guides and advises them of the actions to take to find their missing dog. For example, she mentioned that if your pet is lost, someone other than the owner should put flyers up in different areas because that way the owner’s scent is not scattered around. Lost dogs are often frightened so chasing after them could frighten them more. How you search for a lost dog can make a difference in getting the dog back home.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Mr. Rogers
Wendy is the heart, and soul, of Tahoe Paws. There are volunteers she has been training in search and rescue of lost dogs. National stories like the one of Russ the dog, who went missing shortly before the Caldor Fire last year and was rescued four months later by Wendy and two of her volunteers,Elsa and Leona, when he was found stuck in five feet of snow in the mountains, is one of the many stories of dog rescues by Tahoe Paws. This happens all the time. Once Wendy receives a request for help in finding a lost dog and she determines Tahoe Paw’s can help, the process begins. Because of where Tahoe Paws is located possible searches for lost dogs often involve snowshoeing and hiking into areas where the dogs might have run to. Wendy provides emotional support to the people she helps who are understandably upset when their beloved dog is missing. These animal First Responders do what they do with love and passion, even though the exhaustion can take a toll. Wendy shared she feels such gratitude that she is able to follow her dream by helping these animals.
With honor and admiration we shine our Kindness Champion spotlight on the remarkable Tahoe Paws and TLC 4 Furry Friends. We thank you for bringing your pawsome awesome into the world.
To learn more about the incredible Tahoe Paws and TLC 4 Furry Friends here is their information:
Facebook: @tahoepawstribe
https://www.facebook.com/tlc4furryfriends/
Instagram: @tahoe.paws
