Clarksville losing friend in devoted dog shelter

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Clarksville losing friend in devoted dog shelter
By STACY SMITH SEGOVIA
The Leaf-Chronicle


Inge and Greg Irby, founders of Second Chance & Happy Tails, have made a difficult announcement. The 9-year-old, nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue must close.

The Irbys found homes for more than 1,500 dogs over the last nine years. Two of them, Arriba and Rocco, live with me. When I think of the joy they bring me and the pain the Irbys spared them, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

Over the past six years, I have made small donations to Second Chance & Happy Tails here and there, with no regularity. The rescue's bills, however, show up every month. The dogs need to be fed. They need medical care. The task is overwhelming.

Knowing the work Inge Irby has invested in so many innocent lives, I regret that I didn't do more to support her efforts. My admiration for her is much greater than the contributuons I've made. My days are more fun, my heart more full thanks to her. So many other people can tell the same story.

The dogs I adopted were cute, young, healthy dogs — the kind everyone wants. Inge Irby, unlike anyone else I know, loves most the dogs that are old, the dogs rejected by owners, the dogs that require an unending amount of care and money. Irby's commitment has not wavered.

"Yes, I'm closing, but the dogs aren't going anywhere," she says. "None of the dogs will go to other rescues; none of them will be euthanized. I will find homes for the ones I can, and the rest of them will live with me until they die."

Clarksville is losing a great resource in Second Chance & Happy Tails. It is because of the Irbys that dogs treated like trash have been restored the love and dignity they deserve. Let's hope, in the Irbys absence, others will take up the charge.