Strip Club Employees Raise Funds for Rescued Dog After Hurricane Michael
After Hurricane Michael, one rescued dog in Niceville, Florida, ended up with a story that spread far beyond the local shelter scene. What started as a difficult situation for MJ the dog turned into a community effort that helped her puppies get the care they needed.
Employees from a nearby strip club stepped in to raise funds for the litter, giving the newborn pups a better shot at a healthy start. The donations helped support the dogs as they recovered from a rough beginning, and the response drew plenty of attention.
Now the puppies are safe, and the people who helped them have a story worth sharing.
A puppy from the litter. So adorable.
After Hurricane Michael, mother dog MJ's house was affected, resulting in MJ giving birth to her puppies in a tent.
“This lady called; she had lost her house and everything, and she was living in a tent,” said Jennifer Fortune, head veterinarian and owner of Niceville Animal Clinic. “One of my staff members said, ‘She’s just had nine puppies. The lady wants the dog back, but she’s not equipped to handle even herself, much less a dog with nine new puppies.’”
Fortune offered to take care of the entire litter and even vaccinated and dewormed them to ensure they were in healthy condition. She believed she would have to pay to spay MJ until another employee, Chelsey Griffith, decided to search for donations.
“I called my best friend, Katie Wilkinson; she and I used to bartend at the same club in Louisiana,” Griffith said.
The donations made a real difference for the little family.
The Donations
Before long, they had raised $300 for MJ’s spaying surgery. All of these donations came from dancers and bartenders of Deja Vu Presents Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“Her girls in Shreveport decided this was something they wanted to do because they’ve been through trauma, too,” Fortune said, referring to Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005. “This became an avenue for them to do something positive, so they are going to contribute to the spay cost, and then we are going to send (MJ) home to her mom and find homes for all the puppies.”
As of the time of writing this, six of the nine puppies have been pre-adopted. Three dogs remain: two females and one male. There is a $225 adoption fee that covers spaying or neutering, microchipping, as well as all vaccines required until the time of adoption.
What are your thoughts on the donations? Would you adopt one of the remaining puppies? If so, you can get more information by contacting Niceville Animal Clinic at 850-678-2002.
This also echoes the chaos of a stray dog bitten by a rattlesnake, delivering seven puppies on the way.
That kind of support can go a long way for rescued animals.
Heartbroken by MJ’s tent-birth story? See what an abandoned pregnant dog encounter did to one woman.
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