Coal Mountain Animal Rescue seeks donations for ailing dog

Emily Graham, Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 15—Coal Mountain Animal Rescue is seeking donations to cover an emergency surgery for a 7-month-old dog rescued from a kill shelter.

Angela Kapusnick, founder of the county foster-based rescue, said Monday that Bailey, a Catahoula-boxer mix, was recently saved from a Texas kill shelter and was in good condition until several days ago.

"She was spayed on June 16, and she was a happy, healthy puppy," Kapusnick said. "Then she took a turn for the worse. She was vomiting and hiding, and she had a fever."

Bailey was taken Sunday to BluePearl Pet Hospital in Shillington, where she underwent emergency surgery. She developed sepsis due to an allergic reaction after being spayed.

"The infection has been brewing since she was spayed, but there were no signs until now," Kapusnick said.

The bill came out to $9,774.99, a high price for the nonprofit rescue that only formed last year.

Alyson Altman, another Coal Mountain staff member, said Bailey is one of 11 medical cases that the rescue currently has.

"We're new, so we're not looking for medical cases, but we take them, and we pray and hope donors step up," Altman said.

She said Coal Mountain is a three-person team, all with long backgrounds in animal rescue and a goal of keeping dogs out of shelters where they could be euthanized. The organization does not have a central facility, but places rescued animals in foster homes.

Along with medical cases, Altman said, the rescue takes owner surrender cases, such as pets of people who get sick or die.

"Our goal is servicing the community and keeping animals out of shelters," Altman said. "Helping keep dogs out of shelters saves lives, too."

Coal Mountain Animal Rescue accepts donations through Venmo @coalmountainanimalrescue, Cashapp $coalmountainanimal and Paypal coalmountainanimalrescue@gmail.com.

Updates on Bailey and others are posted on the Coal Mountain Animal Rescue Inc. Facebook page and @coal_mountain Instagram.

Through social media, Altman said she hopes to raise awareness about the rescue to find both donors and fosters.