ST. LOUIS — Every morning Donna Lochman logs more miles on her Jeep.
“A lot of miles,” she emphasized. “A lot of flat tires from running over nails.”
Her destination isn’t always a specific pinpoint on a map. She travels where she’s needed the most to help animals who are struggling to survive.
“I think there are rescue gods that watch over us and guide us to certain areas, sometimes ‘cause they know what needs help,” she said.
Lochman is on a mission for Stray Rescue of St. Louis.
She drives through some tough neighborhoods, pushing her way through thick brush and even going into broken down homes.
“Periodically, I’ve put a foot through a floor,” she said. “You kinda just do what you gotta do.
She’s fearless, not afraid of her surroundings, not afraid of the animals.
“You just kind of get used to the body language,” Lochman explained.
While going out on a rescue mission with 5 On Your Side, Lochman was able to coax a mother dog to come up to her. On many of her missions, it’s as if the animals know she’s there to help.
“They just seem to trust. I don’t know if it’s a feeling they get or what,” she said.
Over the years, Lochman estimates she has saved hundreds of animals from a life on the streets.
“The situations that these animals end up in are a lot our fault, and I think that we owe them to make it better.”
Lochman said there’s no better feeling than saving an animal’s life.
“I do it because I love the animals.”
But she said there are steps pet owners also can take to resolve the problem.
“We need to hammer home to people to get their animals spayed or neutered,” she stressed.
If you would like to volunteer to help Stray Rescue with their efforts, give them a call at 314-771-6121.
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