Consider It Done

I want to share a special rescue story with all of you. This is a story of two friends... coming together to save lives… myself and the amazing Pippa Jackson.

Me & Pippa at Lucky Dog Rescue

A dear friend of mine, Pippa Jackson, runs an incredible no-kill shelter called Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) of Mississippi. The 22-acre ARF Farm in Pelahatchie, Mississippi is a safe-haven for 260 animals, who would otherwise have nowhere to go. The amazing team at ARF provides these pets with food, vet care, and shelter until they find their forever homes. But most importantly, the ARF volunteers give much-needed love and attention to these deserving animals. For so many, this is the first time they’ve experienced love in their lives, and ARF shows them what it means to be truly special.

Recently, a disgruntled neighbor started a campaign to shut-down this amazing shelter. Throughout this process, investigators have been visiting the shelter in attempts to close them down. On Friday, one investigator noticed the 6 Pit Bulls on the shelter property. These Pit Bulls came from horrible situations, with no hope for a future, and ARF lovingly took them in. Well, there is a breed ban on Pit Bulls in Rankin County, Mississippi, the county in which the ARF Farm is located. The investigator demanded that ARF remove the Pit Bulls immediately, from the shelter and from the county, or these dogs would be destroyed.

My special friend, Pippa, was already dealing with the heartbreaking reality that her beloved shelter may be unnecessarily and wrongfully shut-down, and now she had to immediately find somewhere for these 6 special dogs to go. It was almost too much for her to bear.

She called me, at a complete loss for what to do, and the sadness and hopelessness in her voice brought me to tears. Pippa is an incredible woman who has dedicated her life to saving animals. She's done nothing wrong in this situation. And yet, she has to justify her right to save lives, while facing a potential shelter closure that will leave 260 animals... homeless.

In addition, these Pit Bulls were suddenly at risk of being immediately destroyed, and they needed out NOW.

She said, “Ashley, I just don’t know what to do.”

So, I said, “Pippa, I’ll take them.”

And with all the amazingness that lives in this woman’s heart.. she said, “No, Ashley. I can’t do that to you.”

I said, “Pippa, you are not worrying about this anymore. You've done nothing to deserve this, and you need help. I will take them. Consider it done.”

Pippa Jackson is a caring woman. A gracious woman. A woman who needs far more help than she receives, and gives far more than she takes. A woman who is extremely thankful for every single act of kindness that comes her way, never failing to show her appreciation…

In her voice, I could hear every bit of gratitude in her soul, when she said, “Thank you, Ashley. Thank you.”



Me & Capone



The next task was getting the dogs from the ARF Farm in Pelahatchie to my rescue in Meridian, Mississippi. Pippa’s husband, Charles, and her friend, Kathryn Meloan, helped make this happen.

And today, 6 very special, deserving Pit Bulls were given another second chance at life with Lucky Dog Rescue. The amazing group at ARF gave them their 1^st second chance, but cruel and unnecessary breed bans left these babies with very little hope... a feeling they know all too well. Safe and happy once again with me, now these 6 babies need to find their forever families. Please help me make that happen for them…



Me & Bonnie. She has a bad leg injury that healed improperly



In reading this, I hope everyone takes away 3 things:

1)When a friend calls you at their lowest low, and they need your help, the very best thing you can do for them is say, “No more worrying. Consider it done.” Often, your friends may not ask you for help when they reach a low so deep... that all seems hopeless… but that’s the time when they need you most. Every time I’ve needed Pippa, she’s been there for me. I'm honored to return the favor.

Pinky & I

  

 2) Breed bans are cruel, unnecessary, and ineffective, and they DO NOT solve the problem. The dogs are NOT the problem… bad owners are the issue. Put these horrible pet owners on death row, NOT the dogs. The matter of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is very personal for me, because MY CHILD is a Pit Bull. His name is Riley. And no law will ever tell that my little boy is anything less than amazing and deserving of life. Please do not support Breed-Specific Legislation, support stricter animal cruelty laws.

Mimi & I

3) Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) of MS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! If you live in Rankin County, please contact the Board of Supervisors, and tell them that you support ARF and the amazing work they do for the community! Rankin County NEEDS ARF… it’s the only shelter in the county, and without the ARF Farm, these animals would have absolutely nowhere to go! Also, ARF runs on private donations, so they provide a service to the taxpayer, without using tax dollars!

Sissy & I

And if you’d like to adopt a pet from a no-kill shelter in Mississippi, ARF is an amazing organization that comes highly recommended by me and many others. Please visit the ARF website and "Like" the Animal Rescue Fund of MS (ARF) facebook page.







Pippa & I with Mama



Thank you, Pippa, for being someone I can always count on. Thank you for everything you do for so many helpless animals. Thank you for fighting for your right to save more lives, and for never giving up hope. Anytime you ever need me... consider it done.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THESE 6 PIT BULLS!