Humane Society hosts Woofstock festival for rescued dogs
They might be referred to as puppies or a man’s best friend; but no matter what you call them, Woofstock, a dog rescue festival in Burlington, N.C. had them all. On Saturday, Oct. 4 the Humane Society hosted the festival in the City Park Amphitheater.
Joleen Terrell is one Woofstock veteran who has been coming since 2000. She’s only missed one year due to her dad getting heart surgery.
While Terrell is not a Humane Society volunteer she’s rescued what she says are her “fair share” of dogs.
“Say I’m big and chunky now,” said Terrell, while cuddling with Cha-Cha the dog she found in a trap near her home a couple years ago.
Terrell said Alamance County Animal Control set a metal trap and Cha-Cha walked right in it.
“I sure have helped rescue a lot of dogs and have found them homes,” Terrell said. She says it feels good being able to help them out.
“She was full of ticks and real scrawny and little,” Terrell said about her dog.
So Terrell brought her into Cha-cha home with her own four dogs. She wanted to give her some extra love and knew this dog needed some extra attention.
“She’d run like somebody had throwed rocks or something at her. She was at large for like two months,” Terrell said about Cha-Cha when she initially encountered her.
Terrell said her new dog was scared of everyone too and ran away from people most of the time.
Now, thanks to Terrell, the once-stray puppy has a home. Her cousin Sheryl Clark took Cha-Cha in and gave her all the love she needs.
“My cousin took her over and gave her a great home,” Terrell said.
She said hardest part about rescuing dogs is making sure she finds good homes for them.
But Terrell doesn’t just help rescue dogs; she also raises four of her own.
“I have Morgan, Little Man, Lucky, and Joy.” Morgan is a six year old Chorkie, a chihuahua and Yorkie mix. Little Man is three years old and is a Yorkie. And Joy is a Pekingese and Lucky is a chihuahua who are both one year old,” she said.
She carries her dogs in a unique way. Most dogs are walked on a leash, but Terrell uses a wagon to transport her dogs.
“Usually I have a double-decker dog stroller. This year I decided to use a wagon instead,” Terrell said.
She bought the stroller a week ago for her grandchild, but wanted to transport all of her bundles of love in an easy way. This was only the second time all of her dogs were in the wagon. Terrell has a large back yard for them to play in, but she says her four furry friends don’t know how to walk while leashed because she said she spoils them.
“I’ve always cradled them and babied them,” Terrell said.
At night she said her dogs each have their own kennel to sleep in.
Terrell said she truly enjoys going to Woofstock each year to hear the music and meet the people. She says her favorite part is people checking out her dogs and enjoying their presence.
Her friends come out and her dogs get to interact with her friends’ dogs. She says the environment is just fun to be around.
