The Richardson Animal Shelter is now a place where animals can not only get adopted, but they can also come there to recover inside its medical suite.
From a momma cat getting cared for alongside her kittens, to a 12-year-old black lab who’s healing while waiting to get adopted, they’re all under the care of Dr. Holly Gans.
“You’re a good girl,” Gans said to the lab while sitting inside a pen with her.
She’s an enthusiastic veterinarian who is providing a service that wasn’t always available at this shelter, but it’s now possible thanks to a dedicated volunteer: Mrs. Gracie McMurrey.
“I have always loved animals my entire life,” McMurrey said while sitting inside her home a few minutes away.
She said she’s allergic to cats so she surrounds herself with dogs, including a tiny black one named Bear. He is one of countless puppies she’s fostered over the last five years.
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“I hand fed her until she was old enough to be adopted,” McMurrey said while referencing a miniature poodle that now lives with a neighbor. “But you teach them as much as you can while you have them.”
McMurrey’s generosity goes well beyond fostering pets in need of a home.
“You know, when God blesses you, He expects you to give back,” McMurrey said. “And I need to do something to leave this world a better place than I found it.”
So she donated a large chunk of her and her late-husband, Jim’s, life savings to build the surgical suite at the Richardson Animal Shelter.
It’s here, where Gans can now treat injured rescue animals.
“Our animal clinic has been an absolute game changer for us,” said Bill Alsup, with the City of Richardson. “The health of our animals is the best it’s ever been.”
So now, clinic patients like a cat named Miss Queenie, can get treated for her itchy skin and other ailments.
“Let’s help her, let’s do what we can to get her better,” Gans said while petting Miss Queenie.
And that is possible because McMurrey followed her faith to fulfill an act of service.
“Whatever God whispers in your ear, I think we all owe that, not only to God, but to each other,” McMurrey said. “You know, we are to look out for each other and help each other.”
And McMurrey is doing that by looking out for the pets in need in her community.
The McMurrey Family’s “Pet Medical Suite” has been serving animals in Richardson for the last three years.
