Mary Frances Massey, who turned 8 on Oct. 29, did what she has done for the past several years – instead of asking for presents for herself, she asked her friends and family to give donations to the Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter.
“It just makes me feel good to do something to help the animals,” Mary Frances said.
And mom, Tracey Massey, says it’s also a good life lesson for her daughter.
“It’s good for kids to understand that it’s not all about them, it’s also about helping others, like these animals,” she said. “So many kids today have this me, me, me attitude.”
Massey said everyone has the freedom to give what they can, or want, to give.
“They can give $5, or $30,” she said, adding that some give a bag of food, or a collar and leash, brushes, toys and other items.
Big or small, it all goes to help the animals, she said.
Massey said they found out about MOAS when Mary Frances was 2 years old by seeing some of the shelter’s animals at an off-site pet adoption at Pet Supplies Plus on Alps Road one Saturday.
The family had just lost a dog to cancer and was thinking of adopting another. The folks working offsite told her they could come to the shelter on Sunday where they could see the dogs in a quieter environment.
“We came to the shelter and thought it was wonderful,” she said.
They selected a shepherd/collie mix to adopt that they named Lady. That was 2005. Later that year, Mary Frances appeared in the shelter’s annual pet calendar with Lady.
“Then in 2006, we adopted Speckles (a cat),” Mrs. Massey said.
These days, Mary Frances and her mom often go to the shelter just to visit. They also bring supplies, like blankets, food and other items they hope will make the animals more comfortable during their stay there.
When Mary Frances’s grandmother passed away from complications from Alzheimer’s in 2008, they visited the shelter again to get a cat to keep her grandfather company. “Edmund” was selected and “Earl and Edmund” have been pretty much inseparable ever since.
“My dad had never had a cat before; he is now 90 and he and my mother were married for 62 years,” Mrs. Massey said. “Edmund has been so healing for him.”
Mary Frances may only be in the second grade, but it’s no surprise she already has her career choice picked out.
“I want to be a vet,” she said. “I think I’ve wanted to be one since I was about 4.”
Asked to choose an animal to have her picture made with, Mary Frances chose “Gussie,” one of a litter of four puppies. Gussie’s mother, who shelter officials fondly refer to as “Mama Dog,” was a stray that roamed Danielsville for months, living off the streets and the kindness of strangers, until animal control captured her and brought her to the shelter. Mama Dog proceeded to give birth to a litter of puppies the next day. Now those puppies are weaned, healthy and ready to be adopted. Like all pets adopted at MOAS, they will be spayed or neutered and receive age-appropriate vaccinations before they leave the shelter. Their mother is also up for adoption.
The shelter is located at 1888 Colbert-Danielsville Road. Call 706-795-2868 for more information. All donations are tax-deductible.
Shelter wish list
Besides a home for every animal under their roof, the Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter’s holiday wish list includes: dry dog food, dry or wet cat food, cat litter, paper towels, bleach, 39-gallon trash bags, rubbing alcohol, brooms, dust pans, laundry detergent, blankets, sheets, towels and heavy-duty hoses and sprayers. There is a special need for a good working refrigerator and a copy machine, shelter officials said.
I admire this young lady very much. I know how excited I was as a child to get presents for my birthday (nowadays, I'd just like for friends and family to forget it). So, that's an awesome thing for her to do. I wish there were more like her!