Tessa Lee: Animal Rescuer and a Social Worker

Tessa Lee, an animal rescuer and a social worker, was planning for a relaxing and sensational weekend when she received a call that shook her to the core. She runs a non-profit organization WHARF (Whitecourt Homeless Animal Rescue Foundation) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The caller had called in to report a group of tiny little puppies abandoned in the cold, and the news broke Lee’s heart. She rushed in with a determination to set things right for those animals. She feared that the puppies might not have long to live and her late arrival might change the whole scenario.

When Lee took them home, she realized that she had a lot to do. The dogs were so underfed and malnourished that they couldn't even walk on their own. Lee decided to bottle feed them first, taking great care and precautions.

Fortunately, a miracle came to light as four out of five of the puppies made it around in no time. They were well and fit, ready for a new home. However, Ruby, the fifth puppy, was facing some difficulty. When Lee had found her, Ruby had barely any energy to stand and move. Lee feared that Ruby might not make it at all. However, Lee and Ruby found their very own Christmas miracle on the morning of the 25th of December. The poor little puppy, who could hardly stand the other day, was up and about. She was walking towards her rescuer in an attempt to be fed. It was all too mesmerizing and emotional for Lee to not record. “It’s a Christmas miracle,” Lee said to CBC News. “She wants to live, and that’s a big thing.”Luckily, Lee was able to capture the whole thing on tape, and the video found itself on the internet where, in just a minute, it gained tons of likes and comments. Lee is hopeful that her fighter puppies will find a loving family soon, quite hopefully better than the last one.

Though Ruby’s walk isn’t perfect at the moment, she has had substantial improvement since her rescue, and hopefully will only go up from there. Finding abandoned and distressed animal on Christmas may seem like a saddening experience, but Lee claims that Christmas is actually the most common time for WHARF to be up and about. “It seems like every Christmas Eve, there’s an emergency,” Lee said. “My family’s already prepared to have an emergency animal at Christmas dinner with us.”Until Ruby and the rest of the pups find a new home, they will stay under the guardianship of Lee and her family.