A Blessing For All Time

It looked like a raw piece of meat trying to stand. Palena Dorsey, founder of Sanctuary Animal Rescue, got out of her car, opened the gate to her yard and stood for a moment. The dog, whose breed was unrecognizable, was so terrified she scurried under Palena’s RV and peed.

Palena’s tribe of twenty-two dogs noisily greeted her, and she touched their noses, talking affectionately to them. “Give me a minute,” she said quietly. “We have someone who needs our help.” Palena got some food, water and a leash. Then she spoke to the dog. “You must let me catch you so I can help you. It will scare you but I will help you.” The dog wagged her tail slightly.

Covered in mange, open sores, infected eyes, a stomach full of worms, and cracks between her toes, the dog wanted to believe what she heard. But 8 months of living on this earth had conditioned her to be extremely cautious.

Palena knew this and spoke to her about it. “You came to me as a blessing. Somehow, close to death, you knew where to go; and it was here with me.” Tears were rolling down Palena’s face. 

The dog took tentative steps toward the food she wanted so badly. Each time she would back away as Palena tried to place the leash around her neck. Finally, Palena secured it and touched the starved, beaten dog, kissing her nose. The dog cowered as if she was not worthy of a loving touch, but her tail wagged. “I promise you no one will ever hurt you again,” she vowed.

Palena named the dog Blessing because she feels they are both blessed to have each other. Within the first 3 weeks, Blessing gained 18 pounds, and she learned to trust Palena and her other caregivers. But she never trusted the vet through her slow and remarkable recovery. 

“Blessing may never be beautiful to most. But to me she is one of my most beautiful. Her hair is growing in black as coal, but it is only about 1/4 inch thick. Her eyes will lose their sight, but she can still see some now. So we will not take them until she can no longer see.”

“Blessing may never be beautiful to most.
But to me she is one of my most beautiful."

Blessing will always have a hump in her back, probably from malnutrition. She has deformed feet and waddles like a duck when she walks. But the love she shows to those who care for her is extraordinary. 

Safe and protected, Blessing is free to experience the love she was meant to know. And that’s what Palena wants for every animal. This extraordinary woman has devoted her life to rescuing the worst possible cases imaginable. And she does it all across the country.

From her home state of Florida to Missouri, Tennessee and Georgia, Palena walks among the most deplorable animal conditions, reaches out to the most hopeless and offers them a life full of health and love. She finds many of these nearly dead animals in puppy and cat mills.

But she also saves animals from kill shelters. Literally pulling animals destined to die within minutes of their rescue. Palena doesn’t just rescue these cast outs, she loves them, feeds them, and encourages them to breathe new life into worn out bodies. 

It’s not unusual for her day to start at 3 a.m. She feeds her “babies,” sings to them and gives medication to those that need it. She works long days and speaks to organizations about the Sanctuary. She is tireless in her desire to educate the public about caring for animals.

Her efforts to unite rescue organizations across the country have resulted in the creation of United Rescues for Animals. Independent rescue organizations now networking, helping each other with large-scale rescues.

She generously offers praise to all the rescue groups that work together to save animals. 

The Mosby Foundation was truly honored to give Palena’s Sanctuary Animal Rescue a donation toward Blessing’s healing. And the Sanctuary was thrilled to receive it. “Please know that your donation will go directly to help Blessing as well as the neediest of the 125+ dogs and cats that have arrived yesterday from the latest puppy mill rescue.”

We recognize it takes a woman rich in heart, unselfish by nature and loving in spirit to travel such a grizzly road. But Palena sees it strikingly different. “Those that are deemed by society to be so handicapped they are not considered to be worth rescuing, those that have no eyes, are missing limbs, are brain damaged or otherwise considered “special,” we find them to be some of the most loveable and have placed many in homes.”

Certainly Blessing and Palena’s tribe of twenty-two other dogs would all bark in unison. After all, they were each in a similar condition when they met Palena. So who blesses whom?

“Truly I am a rich woman for the love that abounds on this place, for many like Blessing give more to me than anything tangible that money can buy. For their gift to me is pure, unconditional.”

Palena’s rare gift teaches us that when the strong cannot survive, love will. At The Mosby Foundation, we ask your help to support this vital work. Thousands of voices cannot be heard, but they can be saved.