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Clifford’s Army Rescue from the Beginning to Now

Pictured above are just a few of the many lives saved by C.A.R.E.

In the spring of 2011, two unaltered stray dogs were picked up in Kings Mountain after a fight landed them at Cleveland County Animal Control. One was a Golden Retriever, and after his 72-hour hold, the Humane Society and a local vet came to evaluate him for rescue. What they found was heartbreaking—he was in septic shock from untreated wounds, having suffered for days without medical care.

That dog, later named Clifford, was rushed to the vet, treated, and eventually adopted. But his story revealed a deeper problem: CCAC had no medical budget, and with nearly 7,000 animals coming in annually and a 95% euthanasia rate, most never got a second chance.

At the time, Clifford’s Army Rescue began under the umbrella of our local Humane Society, raising funds for vetting and working to connect shelter animals with northern rescues. But by 2014, the Army had grown—and so had our vision. We wanted to do more. That year, we applied for and received our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, officially becoming Clifford’s Army Rescue Extravaganza. We began recruiting our own fosters and volunteers, building a community of animal advocates determined to make a difference.

Since then, we’ve grown into a full rescue—focused not just on healthy animals, but on those others pass by: the injured, the sick, the feral, the frightened. We’ve seen unimaginable cruelty—dogs starved to the point of eating the remains of others, injuries exposing bone and muscle. And yet, we keep fighting.

Today, we care for 126 dogs in foster homes, supported by 62 active fosters. And while not all are active at once, we have over 200 people on our social media volunteer page—ready to jump in when needed. We also have 29 dogs in paid boarding, which costs us $4,500 every two weeks. Our mission is to give every dog a chance—whether they need heartworm treatment, surgery, or just a safe place to heal.

We also support our community—covering vet bills for families in crisis, hosting free pet food drives, and offering monthly spay/neuter clinics with Dr. Elizabeth Welch and $10 microchip clinics with Dr. Brandi Bumgardner. Because we believe in keeping pets with the people who love them.

But being foster-based has its limits. That’s why we’re building something bigger.

We were gifted 26+ acres with three buildings and a house—our future rescue facility. We’ve completed the roof on our 65,000 sq ft dog building, and are working with Duke Power and a local electrical company to get power restored. We still need roofs on the office and training buildings, and extensive interior renovations.

Phase One has two goals:

  1. Move our dogs out of boarding to save over $8,000/month
  2. Open our offices to expand operations

It’s a daunting task—but we believe in it with all our hearts. With this facility, we can help even more animals in Cleveland County and beyond.

Thank you for standing with us. Together, we’re not just saving lives—we’re rewriting stories.

 

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Kaleb, The Bionic Dog

 

August 22nd 2018, started out as normal. Up early, feeding and walking the dogs. Checking messages on the phone and computer. There was a message on Social Media, it said “my name is Vicky, and I manage the NC Welcome Center. Tony Vaughn, a supervisor with D.O.T. has found a dog that has may have been hit by a car. Can you advise us what to do?” As always, in rescue, you take a deep sigh as you wonder just what all the dog has endured, and then you thank the Lord that compassionate people had found the dog and were reaching out for help.

As fate would have it, the dog was found in a ditch probably two miles from my house, and Tony had put him in his truck with him and was less than a mile from me in the direction or our vet’s office.  Some things are just meant to be, so out the door, I went, calling Boulevard Animal Hospital along the way. There was not much I could tell them other than the dog could hardly stand, and had been found in a ditch unable to move.

This was a day that renewed my faith in the human race. Tony could have just ignored the dog or called animal control where he would have most likely been put down due to the extent of his injuries. Vicky could have told Tony to just deal with it, but neither did because they both wanted to do what was right for the dog, and they both knew that little dog’s, life, who we named Kaleb (he was found in the ditch on Caleb Road) mattered.

After picking up Kaleb from Tony, Kaleb and I went straight to our vets. Kaleb’s hip needed surgery and on his other hind leg, his bone had shattered and he had more than one break. There was also a hole where you could see the bone through it. He was extremely emaciated, hip bones pronounced, scared, and could not walk. Where to start? How do we get him back to health?  Kaleb stayed at our vet’s office for a little over a month, where his movement was restricted and limited as he gained weight and got healthy. After about a month it was time to consult a surgeon, and off to Carolina Veterinary Specialists we went.

Kaleb’s Surgeon, Dr. Daniel Mertens, brought us the news. Kaleb needed surgery on his hip joint, but also needed plates and pins in his other leg. He would need lots of supervision to make sure he had limited movement afterwards, and he would need to come back each week for several weeks to redo his cast and bandages. He then gave us the estimate for the surgery, over $7000 and there was a possibility he may have to do another surgery if things did not go as planned.

Needless to say, as an all-volunteer small 501c3 non-profit animal rescue, we were between shock and “how are we going to raise that kind of money” all at the same time. Faith in humanity restored once again as we did an online auction, we did a fundraiser, we asked for help and people helped! Within a little over a week, we had the funds for Mr Kaleb’s surgeries. Thankfully both could be done at the same time too.

We lined up one of our awesome fosters to care for Kaleb during his recovery phase, Annette Pendergraft. She had handled many of our medical cases in the past and had the perfect set up to keep him calm with limited movement. Annette was a nurse, doctor, caregiver, she did it all, and was perfect for his recovery.

Kaleb began to want a little more, as he became very active once well. He had typical cattle dog tendencies wanting to herd you, and a little bit of a stubborn streak when he did not want to do something. We enlisted the help of the awesome Dana Van Sickle, and then Kaleb went to foster with our trainer/foster, Tammy Freeman. Once Kaleb had other dogs to play with, lots of room to romp and have fun, he became the most perfect boy ever.

He was adopted to the perfect family for him and is now in his forever home. We thank the Good Lord every day that the D.O.T. supervisor found him, got him out of the ditch and that we were called to help. We also thank all the great contributors and supporters who believed in Kaleb and helped him survive.

 

 

 

 

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Zelda, Escapes Starvation

We received a call that a very emaciated dog, truly a skeleton with skin over the bones, had found her way into a fenced-in pool at a good Samaritan’s home. When we saw the photos we immediately got her to our vet’s clinic to try and help her. Zelda (we named her) was not given the best of chances. Her body had started to survive off muscle tissue, no fat at all on her, and her bloodwork was all over the place. We found out the next day she was also diabetic, had a horrible growth on one of her feet, and was heartworm positive. Our vet estimated her to be around 10 years old.

Our firm belief that all lives do matter, made it imperative that we give this sweet girl a chance. Her blood sugar was very hard to regulate, as it was super high one minute, the next reading normal, and the next high again. The growth on her foot continued to grow, and we had to decide what we would do first.

After Zelda gained some weight, we proceeded to have the growth removed which was located between the pads of her foot.

Her blood sugar is still not exact but she is getting better and is getting ready to have her heartworm treatment. She is loved by all the people at our vets and most of our volunteers. She loves other dogs but thinks she is the Queen, no matter what the size.  We are so very happy to be a part of Zelda’s journey and look forward to her getting heartworm treatment behind her, and on to her forever home.

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Injured Boy Reaches Out for Help, Meet Axel

These first couple of pictures would never tell Axel’s story. I am still amazed how sweet and loving this boy is considering what he has been through. We got a call. A man was working on his farm when a dog just pretty much showed up and collapsed at his feet. The dog, extremely emaciated, but even worse, had a huge open wound on his leg.

I met the man at our vet’s clinic, saw the wound and grabbed Axel and carried him in for treatment. What happened next was new to me. An actual piece of bone from the open wound fell out of this baby’s leg.

The wound, which could possibly be where someone shot this sweet boy, was terrible, not fresh, and Axel had done his best to keep it clean. He sat calmly on the exam table as we surveyed the damage to his leg, found a place on the other leg, and worried about what would be next.

It was amazing how this boy’s tail just kept wagging through it all. It was determined that there was nerve damage, and an older wound, all we could do was to amputate the leg.  Axel was admitted to our vet’s clinic and surgery began the next day.

Axel came through the surgery with flying colors, getting neutered too whilst under. He is adjusting very well to a tripod and is moving well. He has gained weight and is back to becoming a healthy boy. He loves other dogs and people! He will make a great new family member. We hope someone will love and care for him and make him forget his rocky start in life.

Axel is approximately 8 months old, a lab mix, a complete love bug, and just wants to be with his people. We are so happy we were able to help Axel survive a horrible injury and now flourish to become someone’s best friend.

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On Death’s Door, Molly Survives!

On December 6th we received a very disturbing call. A sweet senior girl, who had at one point been a part of a family, had been tied outside and left to fend for herself. We heard that she was not doing well so we asked for a picture. We got a photo of her lying in the yard, with every rib in her body showing.

As soon as we saw her, we knew she had to have help. One of our awesome Army volunteers went to pick her up. She immediately started sending pictures on her way to our vet’s office. Meanwhile, a couple of us were out picking up another dog in need. We had no idea we would end up with two, much less one in the condition poor sweet Molly was in.

Once Molly was at our vet’s office, we got the call about her condition. Our vet put her body score at 9 with 10 being the worst possible. She was extremely dehydrated, infection from who knows where at this point, gook coming out of her eyes, nose, and anywhere else it could. Our vet was not very optimistic about her chances, but he knows us well. During the conversation, we were like start the fluids, antibiotics, bloodwork, whatever she needs to have a fighting chance to survive.   Molly was admitted into their ER care and everything possible was started to help her fight.

Our first visit with Molly and you can tell she has a long road to recovery. Not only due to being extremely emaciated, but the infection. She also had some eye issues. It was discovered that she had pyometra, which opened a new issue. She needed surgery immediately but was she able and strong enough to withstand the surgery? Molly was improving each day, but we were petrified she may not make it through surgery.

Molly began to want to go outside for short walks, she loved the food we were bringing her to get her appetite back, and soon she was ready for her surgery. Molly came through it like the champ she is, and also got the growth off her eye at the same time.  Several days later her new foster mom went to meet her as it was getting close to the time for her to go to a home to recover.

These are the last two pictures before Molly left our vets clinic and went to her foster home. Since Molly has been in her foster home, she has blossomed into such a wonderful girl. She absolutely loves the couch!

Her first days at her foster home, she started to fit in well from the start. Molly is great with other dogs, house trained and just loves to be with you. A month later and she has gained 20 plus pounds and is looking very healthy.

Molly’s eye is also beginning to come back. We are unsure if her eye will be completely normal, but the cloudiness is slowly going away. We are hopeful that she will return to normal too. This girl is one more fighter. She literally was at death’s door, a few more hours without help and she would have died, but Molly has so much more to give. Molly is a wonderful, loving girl who now deserves a special family to love and care for her. We are so very happy we were able to help with Molly’s journey back to good health, love and care.

Our girl loves her couch poses and you can see what a huge difference a month has had on her. We love you, Molly!

 

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C.A.R.E. NEEDS YOU!!!

We desperately need all our supporters to go to the link at the end of this article and vote. #mygivingstory could help Clifford’s Army Rescue win some much-needed funds to help us continue with our mission to assist even more of the sick, the abused, the neglected, the injured, the terrified and the abandoned animals in and around our area.

Our goal is to be able to construct our own facility. With our own facility, we could have space for animals when fosters are full,  rotating them to fosters as they become available hence saving more lives. We could have space to help our rescue partners.  We could have space for those in need of emotional help, training, quarantine areas for the sick and the young. We could truly help so many many more.

If you would be so kind to click the link below and it will pull up #mygivingstory which is called ‘Innocent Eyes’.  A voting box will come up for you to click. You may vote daily one time a day. Please help us to help them… your vote could help us win some much-needed funds.

We are the only voice they have.. we are rescue.

https://binkd.co/xyDYV

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GILES… FRIGHTENED TO FANTASTIC

I am not sure I can put into words this rescue story.   Giles has come so very far and he is still on his journey but it is one truly worth sharing.  We got a message that there was a dog at our local open intake county run facility that was completely feral and literally climbing the walls.  We also heard that he would not make it out alive.  Then came the picture from AC in his kennel. Standing in the corner, with fear in his eyes.  All we saw was fear.    The picture is the type that pulls at your heart, that makes you know you have to help.  It did not matter if we had funds, or how we would do it, we just had to do it.

The next day, I went to visit this boy.  He was literally trying to climb the walls to escape from everyone.  I asked the employees to leave me alone with him to see if I could get him to trust me and get him out.   The first 45 minutes, he would not respond to me at all.  Check the next picture of him curled in the corner, trying to go through the wall, and notice uneaten hot dogs in front of him

Then he began to finally eat the hot dogs.    Dogs seem to go into fight or flight mode, and Giles had been in the flight mode but had no where to go.  When he was not eating the hot dogs, I knew he was still in flight mode and no way I would get through to him.    Working with fearful dogs I have learned that you ignore them, do not make eye contact, and let them come to you.  So sitting on the end of his kuranda bed, back to him, answering messages on my phone, sending emails, I sat.   Once he started eating, he came closer and closer and finally took a piece out of my hand.

You can still see the fear in his eyes in this video, but he finally decided he wanted the hot dogs.  I was so excited, only to hear the remark from the shelter was something to the effect, ” so he ate a hot dog”, and I was constantly reminded his stray hold would be up in 72 hours.  I focused on Giles, on his life, not the side drama, and the fact that some people do not understand that all lives truly do matter.  I visited daily to gain more and more trust.  I  went to Mickey D’s picking up chicken nuggets, sausage and egg biscuits,  making his food choices more appealing to where he would come to me.

We progressed.. he started eating out of my hand and I slowly started touching him under his chin when he would get his food. We began to bond, but if anyone came by the kennel, he would regress back to the corner.  The following two pictures show how his eyes and body changed when someone walked up on his kennel .

I spent five days working with him until we sprung him from the local shelter.  We then had a wonderful sponsor to help with his training and hired an awesome trainer, Dana Van Sickle, who taught me and Giles the wonders of Cream Cheese.   Giles will do anything for Cream Cheese and we have discovered many other dogs will too!  Dana worked with him and then I worked with him.   While he was not trusting of any stranger, with time spent, letting him decide to come to you, he made a couple new friends.    I think again the key is to not treat frightened dogs as if they are normal, everyday dogs.   The straight on, eye to eye contact, the come her boy, etc.  does not work.   Sitting down with back and/or sideways, no eye to eye, pretty much ignoring and letting him decide the food is high value enough to come to you.  Another great thing I learned is to toss a treat back so he could go back and have his space for a few and then bring him back up to me.

We progressed as Dana got his collar and leash on him.

Giles became better and better with us.  He met more friends.  And then the day came when I came by the kennels and did not know Dana was outside with him.   Once he saw me, here he came.  The following video shows how much this boy can love!

Giles still has work.  We are starting to take him outside his comfort zone in small increments.  Walking trails when the trails aren’t super busy.  Meeting new people slowly.  This sweet sweet boy who was frightened to death at the shelter, now only wants to please and love.    Just check out the last video we took.

While this story is already on the way to a happy ending.  Giles escaped death at the shelter, he has escaped much of his fears, and he is a happy  boy who loves us.  Now on to finding his forever home.  Once that is accomplished his story will be complete.

This should teach everyone that truly all lives do matter.  He was scheduled to be killed as soon as his hold was up, but he survived and he will continue to thrive.

He is currently with me at my home and we are working on more and more of his socialization skills.    He is a wonderful happy boy and I am hopeful he will continue to accept more and more people into his life.

 

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Mack & Grace

 

What happens when two sweet 8 year old dogs human father dies?  The story is all too familiar, with some not so happy endings.  In this case, the human grandmother is doing all she can to help them and reaching out to rescue to help take them in.

Mack & Grace two siblings raised together from pups. Eight years old and precious. Their human father died leaving them alone. Their human grandmother who is an amazing 82 year old lady, took them in, but the two were just more than she was able to handle. She took them to the vets, got their vaccines caught up, found out both were heart worm positive, (treatment has been started), and then found a very nice kennel/day care facility for them to stay at while hunting rescue. Why rescue you may say? Because these babies have had their world turned upside down and need rescue to make sure they are completely healthy before adopting, to vet the potential adopters to make sure they are going to provide a loving, compassionate home and take proper care of them for the rest of their lives, and to protect them until that home comes around. Please take a look at the video and check out how they went from being cautious to coming up to us. ( they weigh around 55 to 60 pounds, Grace is spayed, Mack is not neutered, Grace is the leader, obvious Mack follows her everywhere.)

We definitely would love to help these two especially after meeting them.   We currently have had some major medical expenses, along with getting more dogs ready for Bark and Heal in a new location, and keeping up with all our normal expenses.   We need your help now to be able to continue helping those with no voice, such as Mack and Grace.

 

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KILLIAN

We received a call around 445 pm from one of the employees at Cleveland County Animal Control.  A small dog had been brought in by one of the ACOs barely alive.  With no medical help available, the only option the staff was given was euthanasia.  Clifford’s answered and we met Tyler at our vets and immediately took over treatment of this sweet baby.    Dr. Luke Martin could barely get a pulse on the dog, his blood pressure was non existent, body temp was 92, completely dehydrated, and he could not even find a vein to put in an IV.   SubQ fluids had to be used, ran through warm water, hot water bottles put all around him, and everything possible was started to try to save this boy.  We named him Killian, German for Little Warrior, as we knew he would need to fight for his life.

No blood could be drawn. We really could not do anything but wait.  By later that night, he was a little better, ate a little AD food, but immediately threw up, had bloody mucus in his stools.  He continued to struggle, but each day he got a little better. and we kept the prayers coming and our awesome vets kept working with him

  Killian continued to improve and was able to go into foster care but did develop an infection on his back.  The following picture shows how it looked almost like a burn down the center.  ( the vet shaved the surrounding area)

   Through all this, this sweet boy, loved everyone he met.  He continued to improve and thrive and we were so thankful we were able to save him.   This is just one example why we say that  ” all lives matter”.  How can one distinguish who we try to save?  Yes, he did have a long road to recovery, but he was adopted by a wonderful family locally, and he has the most wonderful human sister, who keeps us updated and we could not be happier for this sweet boy.  There is no price tag on saving lives, they all matter.  He deserved a happy life, not the life he was given by some uncaring human who had him chained outside in the summer heat, in terrible conditions without caring one bit what happened to him.  Thanks to rescue, and caring people who support us, he has that life.. we love you Killian.. and we are so happy for you!

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Meet Ray

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