Memorial Fund in honor of Dogs Killed to Help Shelter Animals

How do you make sense from a senseless act?  There are many days at Prairie's Edge Humane Society (PEHS) when we ask this question.  Unfortunately we rarely have an answer to it.  We see so many senseless acts of cruelty to animals in our line of work and there are just no words that can explain these acts so we simply look for any tiny piece of good that can come out of a horrible situation in order to move forward and continue the task at hand...caring for those who cannot speak or care for theirselves...the innocent animals of our community.  When we heard about the terrible tragedy experienced by these helpless, innocent dogs in their own homes; homes where they felt safe and were very loved, we felt helpless and devastated for them and their families.  There are no words that we can express to these families to lessen their grief and loss.  We can only let them know that they are in our thoughts and prayers and hope that the person accused of these horrible acts will receive the maximum sentence allowed and will never be able to harm another helpless animal or cause heartache to another family. We hope that our judicial system will recognize the importance of these pets to their families and understand that these helpless dogs are victims who do deserve justice.   These dogs were cherished family members who were brutally murdered during a home burglary. Why? Their lives were ended for no reason, just a cruel, senseless act.  

When Prairie's Edge Humane Society received a donation this past week of $505 from the staff at Allina Medical Clinic in Northfield in memory of Hugh and Stella, the beloved Murphy family dogs who died, we decided something special needed to be done with these funds. This was the piece of good that could come from this tragedy.  Instead of using the funds for our daily operating expenses we decided to designate the funds to purchase microchips in Hugh and Stella's names to be used specifically for the shelter animals prior to their adoption.

PEHS is committed to making sure all animals who are adopted from the shelter are microchipped prior to leaving the shelter so that they will stand a better chance of being reunited with their owner should they ever become lost in the future preventing them from ever being in a shelter or rescue organization situation again.  Over 1000 animals pass through PEHS over the span of a year.  Every stray animal is scanned for a microchip in hopes that one will be detected and the animal can quickly and safely be returned to their owner.  Too many times we are disappointed as we do not find a microchip and the animal is never reunited with its owner.  A microchip is a safe and simple way to ensure your pet is reunited with you should it ever become lost.  All veterinary clinics and shelters have a universal microchip scanner to check for a microchip. With the funds donated from friends and co-workers of Amanda Murphy at Allina Clinic so far, we have been able to purchase 80 microchips to be used specifically for shelter animals.  These animals will be helped the rest of their lives thanks to Hugh and Stella.   

When told of our plans for the donated funds, the Murphy family requested that we keep the "Hugh and Stella Memorial Microchip Fund" in place for future donations as well.  We plan to honor that request.  This is a wonderful legacy to the memory of Hugh and Stella and the love they shared with their family.  Anyone wishing to donate to the fund in order to purchase more microchips can do so by sending a check to Prairie's Edge Humane Society, 1201 Cannon Circle, Faribault, MN 55021, designate Hugh and Stella, or you can make a secure on line donation by clicking here. 

We can never replace these beloved dogs for these families who have been so horribly victimized and have experienced such heartache.  We hope however that they may find some comfort in knowing that many animals from the Prairie's Edge Humane Society will be helped for years to come because of their legacy. To the families affected by this cruel act, may the memories of good times shared with your beloved four legged family members help you in your grief.  May we all hug our own pets a little tighter and more often in honor of those lost. 

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”...Mahatma Gandhi