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ESTILL COUNTY, Kentucky (WLEX) — When animal shelters are near or at maximum capacity, there can still be needs for strays or abandoned animals around central Kentucky – especially in rural areas. With no place for shelter, one Madison County couple is working to meet the needs of animals where they’re at in their communities.
“We don’t know how long it’s been since somebody’s actually lived out here,” said Chris Winters at a property covered in leaves and vines.
Winters was asked to help care for a dog that lived there.
“She’s a senior dog and she’s up here abandoned,” he said.
Another man had previously been visiting the property to feed the dog.
“The guy’s been out here caring for her for some time,” Winters said. “He had a medical condition or crisis that caused him to be hospitalized, but after two days of being in the hospital, he reached out to us and said he cannot come out here anymore to feed her.”
This ‘mountain dog’ living alone is one of the many animals Winters and his girlfriend Dakota Rollins take time to visit.
“We’re field work, we’re a rescue,” he said. “We know where they’re at.”
While Winters is based out of Madison County, he takes calls and makes trips all around central Kentucky to find or respond to needs of animals. Among his stops in Estill County, he checked in on three stray dogs and stopped by to leave food for a number of feral cats.
Winters picked up some medication for another animal, and he visited a foster home hosting puppies that he just helped rescue a few days ago.
“I got a text saying that there was 3 to 5 puppies abandoned off of Red Lick by the bridge,” said Winters. “It was just luck of the draw for somebody to see them and call them before some sort of coyote, wildlife, or the river got them.”
At the stop, Winters found a few more ticks on some of the puppies, and he took turns clipping their nails. He spends most of his time helping animals in need at no cost.
“I didn’t have anybody,” Winters said. “I went from place to place, bounced place to place, group homes, foster homes, psychiatric hospitals, juvenile department corrections, and eventually into prison.”
“My passion comes from being able to relate to them. The animals are left behind. They’re forgotten. That’s how I felt my whole entire life.”
Winters learned how to train dogs, and he said he perfected the skill during his time in prison. He now runs ALPHA Dog Training & Animal Rescue Services, and Winters and Rollins have a GoFundMe to go toward their goal to build a rescue for the animals he’s helping.
“If we had a facility to house these babies, we wouldn’t have to come to the properties and feed them in their place,” Winters said.
Community donations are how Winters and Rollins are able to care for so many animals. They hope to help the rescues they’ve found to end up in homes. You can find more information about the work they do on Facebook.
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