Exploring The World of Animal Shelters: An Inside Look At Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.

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An interview with Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. from Charlottesville, Virginia.

Introducing Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.

Hi, I’m Christine Paige, co-founder and president of Cubby’s Crusade. I run the whole thing coordinating with fosters, transporters, vets, etc. We are a national rescue, so there is a lot of coordinating. 

How did Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Start? What Are The Challenges Encountered Along The Way?

My dog died, and while looking for another later, I ran into a lot of issues adopting from shelters and rescues and became determined that there had to be a better way. The next thing I knew, I was networking shelter dogs and helping rescues around the country. Then before I knew it, I was driving from Virginia to Los Angeles to help out rescues out there for a few weeks. I was given work by my fellow rescues and had opportunities of pulling shelter dogs and helping at the shelters I had been networking. That included a lot of transport from shelters to vets etc. My rescue friends knew I was born to rescue and threw me into the deep end of the pool. I loved it and asked for more work. On that trip, I got to meet one of the dogs we had saved and his foster that I had set up a long distance from Virginia. That visit ended up being epic and the start of it all. That foster ended up becoming my rescue partner. Right away, independently rescuing together in 2019, we officially started our rescue Cubby’s Crusade and became a 501(c)3. That dog Cubby ended up coming home with me. I adopted him right then and there.

Tell Us About The Most “Unusual” Animal That Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Has Ever Taken.

Every single one of them. Ha ha! We rescue special needs. Here are some of our most outstanding misfits.
The Texas 14. We wanted to save 3 in Texas, and a foster offered to make the drive for us, and we asked how many could you fit, and she said she’d take her Suburban and save as many as we wanted. 13 dogs and a cat made that trip back.

The Texas 10. Puppies were found neglected in a warehouse. Though we don’t usually save puppies, we were needed, and we teamed up with another rescue, and we both took 5 each.

The Virginia 5. We went to save one special needs cat, and we were told there were 5 other special needs cats, so we took all 5.

Gizmo, our sunburned cat.

Cobii who’s allergic to everything… including people!

Chewey who had a cauliflower ear and needed surgery for that.

Timber was neurological and couldn’t walk. He went to physical therapy and not only began to walk again but was running! I was told about him literally 4 minutes before the shelter was going to euthanize him, and I’ve never coordinated so fast! We had a puller at that L.A. shelter by then! We got him basic vet care and stabilized and on the next flight out. Our flight team wasn’t sure he’d make it, but he did, and I picked him up and raced to the emergency vet that was waiting for us. That dog thrived and got what he always wanted, a family who loved him.

Chico is the only dog in the world who hates me. We saved him from a crummy rescue that was going to euthanize him for aggression.

Birdie who had every medical imaginable. She was forever fostered by my rescue partner Kari Busse.

Ducky, our hairless Xolo, is the sweetest. He was our first flyer.

Bonzai, who went to so many meet and greets, lost count. He’s our gremlin. He’s sweet but weird. So either he’d scare the adopters off with his uniqueness, or he’d decide it wasn’t for him. When I came home, he always greeted me like I’d been gone for years. Through some personal tragedy, Bonzai was the one there as I was crying, and I realized that he was already home and I adopted him.

I’d have to say, though, that the award for most unusual would be Hiro. He was our Christmas save in 2020. His freedom ride was epic, a vacation to key west! We saved him from the Miami-Dade shelter. It turns out he had a broken jaw, so we got him the best surgeon in the state immediately. It became clear early on that he had to stay with us, and Kari fostered him, but he and Birdie were a lot, and Birdie was meant for her, and Hiro was meant for me. So I drove down and picked him up as fast as I got off the phone with Kari about it. Ha ha! Kari is in Florida, and at that time, I was in Virginia. We got Hiro a stroller, and I showed him around. Before we left, I took him to the beach. He loved it so much that we stayed several extra days enjoying the beach. He loves swimming! He then came home with me to stay as a forever foster. He got to go everywhere with me. I have a long-distance relationship, so we made countless trips driving out to Minnesota and seeing the world. My jobs of delivery and rescue have me on the road a lot, and he got to come along. He even delivered pizza several nights with me. We have quite a few dogs that have been pizza boys and girls, including Bonzai, who is the top pizza boy. Hiro had to be bottle-fed and was a lot like an infant. He is my favorite save, and I love that boy more than anything and am grateful that we got to be his rescue and that I got to be his forever mom.

Tell Us About The Most Unique And Creative Fundraising Campaigns That Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Has Done.

We mostly fundraise through Facebook. We’ve also run 2 auctions.

Our most unique has been our rescue calendars we do each year with photos of our rescues done in watercolor from our annual watercolor fundraiser, and also we had a line of Cubby’s coffees and cocoas.

That was our neatest fundraiser and one that was unique to our rescue. We also ran a fundraiser with t-shirts for our boy Marty who had lymphoma. Just when we thought all his many medical issues had been addressed. Everyone thought I was crazy because his chances of beating it were slim, but I knew if anyone could, Marty could. He had beat every other medical obstacle. That was when we were independent, and I was working 100-hour weeks for his chemo and radiation. All of our friends jumped to help, and he got the top care he needed and beat it! Marty lived for years after and died of old age. Not cancer. We also raised funds to restore Mokey’s sight with success. 

Tell Us About The Most Rewarding Part Of Running Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.

All of it. We are foster-based, so we foster them in our own homes. So we get the joy of getting them healthy and ready for adoption, and to see their transformations is beautiful. And Hiro. 

What Do You Think Might Be The Greatest Challenge Of Running Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.?

Also, all of it. Ha ha! Funds are a huge challenge. And finding any help is also a challenge. Good low-cost vets and fosters are rare. It also takes so much of my time. Even if I don’t have any current fosters or any in our rescue, it never closes. There’s always something that needs my attention.

Tell Us More About The Volunteers In Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.

We have the best team ever, and I am so proud of them! We have volunteers around the country. I can call them at any time, and they will drop everything off to help out! Whether it’s needing one pulled from a shelter and taken a right to a vet, a home check, or transport, you name it, they do all they can! They are a huge part of our team and the reason we’re able to do what we do! Some are fellow rescues we partner with, and some are adopters, fosters, and transporters. And some are friends and family who are new to rescue.

Where Do Most Of The Animals In Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Come From, And What Is The Process For Rescuing And Rehabilitating Them?

Mostly from shelters. We have had a couple of owner surrenders. Mostly California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois. We’ve saved a few from Arizona, Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Washington. We do everything needed to rehabilitate them, including all medical needs and training. We partner with shelters that will often contact us directly when there is one who needs us specifically. 

What Are The Busiest Periods, And How Does Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Cope?

It’s always busy, but shelters are overwhelmed at Christmas and any fireworks holidays since pets run away scared. We all do our best to help the shelters make space ahead of those holidays for the Christmas returns and runaways taking up shelter space. A lot already in the shelters are euthanized for space during these times. To be clear, we do not ever euthanize. I’m talking about shelters.

What Animals Does Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Focus On?

We mostly rescue smalls because we have an amazing flight team! They are airline employees who fly ours in their free time in a cabin with them. Sometimes first class! We are very lucky for this, and because of them, we are able to rescue nationally. We also rescue mostly special needs. We take the misfits. The ones that are hard to find adopters for. They are the ones who need us and what we are good at. We’ve had underweight, overweight, biters, allergies, cancer, heartworm, ringworm, jaw surgery, one we even restored her vision. We do what a lot wouldn’t, so we take those needing us the most. We stay small, so we can give each of us everything they possibly need. The biters are a challenge and so fund. It’s a huge reward to see their transformations! We’ve saved a lot of chihuahuas and min pins, especially. 

Working With The Local Community

We are very lucky to work with amazing rescues nationally. I highly recommend working together. There is no pride in rescue. It’s all about the animals. We only work positively. We help each other. When we need help, they are there. When they need help, we’re there. I have driven countless miles for them and done airport runs, and will jump any time they call. We can count on each other, and so many lives are saved and improved because of that teamwork. Working together is so much better for the animals, and the animals are why we do it. 

Tell Us More About Your Events

We have just moved our rescue, which has been a huge deal, so, at the moment, we don’t have any going on. But we’ll be back up soon. Anyone can always donate, and we are always looking for volunteers to help! Especially fosters!

What Is Done Differently at Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.?

I think everything about us sets us apart from other rescues. Ha ha! 

Hiro died this past fall, and he loved the beach, so his ashes are at several beaches, including Hawaii, thanks to one of our amazing team members Sheila Miller who did a great honor for him.

How Has Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. Adapted To The Challenges Presented By The Pandemic?

When Covid first hit, it was a nightmare. Flights were stopped and basically impossible to get. We were lucky that our flight team flew ours as fast as possible for us, but it was a huge deal. It was also hard to get into vets. Everyone immediately wanted to adopt, working suddenly from home, and my rescue partner and I saw a problem right there and stopped adopting for the moment. It was a very good decision since so many others had returned when those adopters went back to work. We did not have any. We did, however, have a runaway. We had a dog transported cross country, and he fled from his new adopters during a vet handoff. We created a search team that included professionals, locals, adopters, and me. While I was on the ground searching, my partner was calling others onto the scene coordinating from Florida. It was very successful, and he was quickly found. None of us slept until he was! The pandemic also crushed funds. Donations seemed to stop. Things are slowly getting back to normal. But in the beginning, it was a nightmare.

Share With Us Some Of The Heartwarming Stories Of Animals Rehabilitated And Rehomed By Cubby’s Crusade, Inc.

It appears I got a little ahead of myself, so please see above also for this answer. I can also add the following:
Cobii was fostered in Texas with the promise to her husband that she couldn’t give in. When HE called me asking to adopt with the whole family, I was at a loss for what to do. Ha ha! They did adopt him.
An adopter had seen Recess’ shelter post but was unsure if he’d be a good match since he was labeled aggressive. We do foster-to-adopt to make sure it’s a good match, so after we saved him, I contacted her, and she was thrilled to do a trial foster-to-adopt. He was adopted by her!

Chowder was a last-second save. One of the shelter networkers contacted us in just minutes to save him. We did! Ducky is living in a mansion in Hollywood and is probably in movies by now. Paco was adopted by his foster sister, and they are best friends.

Robin had heartworm, and as we were about to treat that, it was discovered he also had the beginnings of cancer, so we had to make a very difficult decision of which to treat first as it was very dangerous. Against all advice, I chose to remove cancer first. It proved to be the right choice, and we caught it in time, and he’s cancer-free. He then went through heartworm treatment and is a healthy, happy, adopted boy with a vet dad!
Billy, who no one wanted in California, was very wanted by his mom.

Jasper and his brother Logan

Devo

Timber

And, of course, Cubby!

All of our rescues get the very best! With everything from health care (no matter how extreme) to the very best loving homes with excellent fosters and a great team, the whole process! I am so proud of our team, rescue, and the animals we save!

What Are The Help Needed From The Local Community?

We desperately need funds and fosters. I do a lot of this myself, and it’s a lot. 

Connect With Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. here:

Address: Cubby’s Crusade P.O. Box 491 Colchester, CT 06415

Website: https://www.cubbyscrusade.org/

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Wondrousdrifter.com is thankful to Cubby’s Crusade, Inc. for the interview. 

Check out this page for the list of animal shelters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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