Students band together for animal rescue

Friends know Kimberly Swann-Carter as the “guilty puppy picture lady” because of the adoptable animal posts she has on Facebook.

Swann-Carter is also a teacher at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, and when she had to create a student club last year, she chose one centered on animal rescue.

Now, around 30 students meet two times a week to discuss how to rescue an animal and help those in need.

Erica Ross, an eighth-grader at HTMS, said she wanted to join the club to help animals in a hands-on way.

“I like this club because we get to have the ideas of how, if we were in a situation, to do an animal rescue,” Erica said.

Swann-Carter invites students to discuss times when they rescued animals or helped out a stray during club meetings. She also provides advice for rescues, emphasizing safety and proper communication with parents.

“My goals are to save more animals,” said seventh-grader Ella Weissgerber. “I mainly see them when I’m in the car, and it’s sometimes hard to get my mom to stop for them.”

Swann-Carter said students should understand their parents make the final decision on stopping the car to help an animal or keeping a stray after it is rescued.

“Because I am the adult, I can choose to take the dog and keep it at my house for a while,” Swann-Carter said.

There is a large stray dog population in the area, Swann-Carter said, because spay and neuter laws are not strict. Sometimes, she will see several dogs on the way to school, and she tries to help animals whenever possible.

“I wanted to join to help the animal population because the population is going up,” said sixth-grader Ayannah Parrish.

In addition to rescues, students learn local resources they can use to help animals. Animal control, for example, can help rescue animals or intervene in situations of neglect.

Seventh-grader Brian Thompson said he helped rescue a dog that was wandering near HTMS and got the dog home to its owner.

“It felt pretty good to know the dog was safe and the students were safe and not scared,” Brian said.

There are three club sessions each school year, and students rank their top five choices before being placed. Some students choose to remain in one club after a session ends, while others will transition to a new club.

Some of the Animal Rescue Club’s current students were members in May, when the group raised $501 for Rotties & Notties, an animal rescue organization in Moody. The students got donations through a pie-in-the-face contest. The donation was the largest check Rotties & Notties had received to date.

“It felt good to help an animal rescue out and feel like you’re saving animals,” said repeat member Blake Parish.

Meredith Mitchell, who is also a repeat member, said her goal is to raise more money than they did last year. This year, the club is accepting donations and asking businesses to sponsor a homeroom donation contest.

Non-students can also help the club by donating. Swann-Carter said community members can drop off donations, such as food, toys or even old towels, at HTMS and they will get the supplies to shelters or organizations in need.