John Cox didn’t anticipate his retirement going horribly wrong.
One hundred fifty-five plus four goats and four cats, as well as a duck and a goose.
The 57-year-old retired deputy from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office founded the non-profit RUCK9 in May of last year with the intention of purchasing carts for injured or paralyzed dogs (Rescuing Uniquely Created K9s). When Cox visited Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue in Tehachapi, California, she first realized how important these carts were. Cox saw dogs without limbs, with severed limbs and old dogs who had to have their rear ends amputated.
Cox organized a fundraiser in May that year. He walked 5.59 miles (or 56 miles) through Nathan Benderson Park and The Mall At University Town Center, while carrying a 30-pound backpack.
Sandler, a paraplegic 12-and-a-half-year-old dog he encountered at Sarasota’s Satchel’s Last Resort Rescue and Sanctuary, was the first dog Cox outfitted with a cart.
Sandler is one of many. After an article in the Herald-Tribune last summer about his goal, Cox began receiving a lot of requests for carts. One man dialed from Europe. A retired teacher’s husband and a couple from Palmetto were so inspired by what Cox was doing that they mailed him a $1,000 cheque.
“This thing is going crazy,” said Cox, who doesn’t make the carts, but secures them from a company. He pays shipping costs and upgrades for the carts. Any money donated or raised goes back to the nonprofit.
“At year one, I was at 65 (dogs),” Cox said. “Not even four months later, I’m at (105). There are some days I’m ordering eight and nine. People are reaching out left and right.”
Cox will ship a cart to India Tuesday for Diva the dog, on Tuesday.
“I never turn anybody down,” Cox said. “I care about the dogs. For all the animals, if it’s needed, I will provide it. My motto is, If it’s for a day, a week, a month, or a year. My wife claims that I need an assistant. I’m always on the phone, ordering, tracking, and making calls. It’s insane. It’s very hectic for me. I had no clue how much of a need it was going to be.”
If you want to support Cox, please visit ruck9.com.
Source: Yahoo!News
