When a dog named Circles was rescued in Polk County, he had a fractured spine and an even more badly broken spirit. His owner had swung him around by his tail, thrown him into a wall and then left him alone in the backyard for six months.
But because of Second Chance Boxer Rescue and its sister organization, Second Chance Friends, Circles was given all of the care he needed to recover. Months later, he was adopted by a loving family.
“We’re a last-resort rescue. … We take dogs off the euthanasia list. They’re normally just medical trainwrecks,” said Bill Gray, director of SCBR, who personally took Circles to New Orleans for rehab and supervised his year-and-a-half-long recovery.
SCBR will be hosting a carnival March 14 and 15 as a fundraiser, to ensure that more dogs like Circles can be rescued, rehabbed and ultimately embraced by new families who will care for them properly. Circles will even be at the carnival to meet all who attend.
This will be the carnival’s second year. It was so successful last year that it has now been expanded to an entire weekend.
“I really was shocked at the turnout. It was amazing,” Gray said. “The cars just kept coming.”
The carnival will have all of the usual attractions, such as food, music, children’s activities and games. There will also be a number of rescued basset hounds dressed as clowns and vendors selling pet-related items. But the big draw is the lure course.
In a lure course, dogs run at top speeds to chase a bright, motorized object. There are competitions for lure coursing, but at the SCBR carnival, any dog can run the course for fun. No experience is necessary.
“Almost any dog can do it,” Gray said. “It’s like they can’t wait to do it. And once in a while, you have one that’s so thrilled, they’re screaming while they run, and I laugh so hard, I cry.”
Anyone can bring his or her dog to the carnival. Gray asks that owners keep control of their dogs and do not use retractable leashes.
Gray started SCBR after serving as president of Florida Boxer Rescue. Though Florida Boxer Rescue is a large and effective organization, Gray saw a need for a smaller, local organization to save boxers in the Tampa Bay area.
“They’re little clowns — goofy, goofy dogs, very affectionate,” Gray said. “We raised our kids with boxers. They’re really family dogs.”
But Gray often came across dogs of other breeds that also were desperate to be rescued. So he formed a division of SCBR, Second Chance Friends, for all dogs, cats or any other kind of pet.
When Gray finds that a rescued pet is unlikely to be adopted because of old age or extreme anxiety issues, he welcomes them into his own home.
“They come and live out their lives at the Boxer Ranch,” Gray said. “There’s never a minute that there’s not a human in the house.”
For more information about SCBR or to apply for adoption, visit saveaboxer.org.
IF YOU GO
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15
Where: 6106 Knights Griffin Road, Plant City
Cost: Free admission and parking. Lure course is $5 for one run of $10 for three runs. Food prices vary.
More information: facebook.com/events/ 698388510281662
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.