Lots of people like to SAY they want to help their fellow man, but let’s face it…many more do not. Enter Tammie Hedges, founder of Crazy’s Claws N Paws animal rescue in North Carolina. With floods coming and a number of people leaving their animals behind, Hedges stepped up – and rescued them.
And now? She’s been arrested for running an illegal rescue operation. In all, she faces 12 misdemeanor counts of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and one count of soliciting a schedule IV controlled substance. The “medicine” she was practicing? Using antibiotics and antibiotic ointment on the animals…and trying to get them some pain medication.
“Vets were closed. Had they left the animals there, we could have had a vet come out here, because some vets were open later, but we didn’t get that option,” she said. “During a state of emergency, you’re not going to find anybody open. I did what I’m supposed to do. I’m not about to let an animal be in pain and run a fever. When I have the availability and the supplies to help them, I’m going to do it.” Hedges will appear in court October 17th.
Wayne County animal control officers confiscated 17 cats and 10 dogs, and Hedges was later released on a $10-thousand secured bond. And a couple notes? Her agency was in the process of getting licensed – and Hedges says that while she was originally given the option of turning over the animals to authorities or getting arrested, she immediately complied. She was arrested anyway.