Happy Tails
Maverick Station
A huge THANK YOU to the Lewiston Maverick Station for choosing our rescue for donations this Christmas. We go through so much dog/cat food with our many many rescued animals. This donation will feed so many puppies and cats/kittens! We are so appreciative!
Ritz Express Car Wash for the Paws and Claws event
We want to send a big THANK YOU to Ritz Express Car Wash for the Paws and Claws event. This was a food and supply drive for Helping Hands Rescue, Idaho Animal Rescue Network and the LC Shelter. Thank you to the businesses that participated and to all those that donated. A special thank you to the Carltons who are huge animal lovers and responsible for this food drive!
HOME DEPOT AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT
We want to give a huge shout out to Home Depot and the Community that has donated this Holiday Season. It will be able to help a lot of dogs and cats in 2025.
Thank you again!
The New Dog Pens
It was a busy Sunday for Helping Hands. We had volunteers accepting donations for our yard sale. We had more volunteers sealing and finishing our beautiful new puppy pens at our adoption center. Thank you to all that helped today. We are lucky to have such great volunteers!
RAGS TO RICHES FOR RYE
Rye and his 5 weeks old siblings were initially spotted in the care of a local homeless man. Like many “accidental breeds” the mom was young and unspayed. Due to her immaturity she did not want to care for her pups so they had to be bottle fed. The homeless man was getting by but luckily agreed to surrender a few of these pups to a concerned citizen. Two of them were then turned over to HHR where they remained in foster until they were cleared for adoption. Rye found a home that many dogs only dream of. He is living at a campground where he gets to great guests, play, hike, and even swim. He’s grown to be close to 90 pounds of healthy happy puppy and knows no stranger. Rye’s story of rags to riches is one of the best outcomes that I, as his previous foster, can wish for.
Floyd aka Sergio
It’s always heartwarming to get updates on rescue pets that have found their forever
homes, especially those who had a tough start in life. Floyd (formerly Sergio) is one of
those stories that warms the heart.
Floyd was found as a stray on the streets of Clarkston in the spring of 2024. His ears
were so severely infected they became permanently disfigured. He spent several weeks
at Riverview Animal Clinic battling a series of health setbacks. Thankfully, his foster
mom, Cathy, gave him the care and love he needed to bounce back.
One Saturday, Tecla Druffel and her daughter Frankie attended an adoption event as
part of Frankie’s 4-H cat project. That’s when Frankie saw Sergio and knew he was
meant to join their farm. Given his history as a street cat, Cathy agreed a barn and
countryside life might suit him perfectly—but she warned Tecla, “You just wait, Sergio
will make his way right onto your daughters’ beds. He’s a lover.”
Cathy was absolutely right. Renamed Floyd, he fit in immediately. Floyd joined Tecla
and her daughters in the garden, wandered across the barnyard to happy hour on
Tecla’s parents’ porch, waited with the girls at the bus stop, and kept the dogs in check
like the true boss of the property.
Floyd also developed a special bond with Tecla’s parents, Doug and Diane, who
migrate to South Carolina every fall. Maybe it was the treats they always seemed to
have, or perhaps the cozy conversations over cocktails, but Floyd regularly moved
between their two on-site residences as he pleased.
In fall 2024, Doug and Diane packed their canopy pickup for their annual trek to South
Carolina, a 2,300-mile trip to Pittsburgh, followed by another 655 miles to Charleston.
As experienced travelers, they had their packing routine down pat, with overnight bags
in the cab for easy access. They said their goodbyes and hit the road.
Nearly 24 hours later, just outside Billings, Montana, Diane glanced back at the canopy
and did a double take—there was Floyd, curled up on top of their boxes like a seasoned
road tripper! After pulling over and consulting with Tecla, they decided Floyd might as
well continue the journey. A quick stop at Walmart for supplies turned their pickup into a
makeshift cat RV, complete with a carpeted perch for traction during travel.
When they reached Pittsburgh, Floyd graduated to a more spacious setup in the
basement. By the time they arrived in Charleston, Floyd had adjusted like a pro. Initially,
he was going to join the outdoor cats on the property—complete with dry, protected
spaces under the house, a pond (thankfully alligator-free), chickens, turkeys, and two
cat-friendly rescue dogs.
But Floyd had other plans. Not long after settling in, he worked his way indoors, a spot
previously reserved for Tuna, a military rescue cat. Now, Floyd lives the high life in
South Carolina, enjoying year-round mild weather, free reign of the property, and plenty
of love. He’s sporting a plush, well-fed physique and couldn’t be happier.
Floyd the Stowaway sends his regards to his friends at Helping Hands and says there’s
a vacancy at the Druffel farm for another friendly outdoor cat. As for Floyd? He’s decided to make North Caroline home.
MEET PRINCESS SOPHIE! 
We rescued Sophie at approximately 13 weeks of age on Saturday September 2, 2023. She was born on June 3, 2023 into a messy Cat Hoarding situation. When she was rescued by the wonderful volunteers with Helping Hands Rescue, she was a mess. She had an upper respiratory infection, loaded with fleas, and had ringworm and was very shy and scared.
When I saw her at Helping Hands adoption event, she was in a cage with a couple other siblings, and was this adorable long haired tabby cat. Past experience has always shown me that Tabbies are usually very loving and gentle cats. At least that has always been my experiences with them. And she lived up to that. I picked her up, held her, and she snuggled down, and I knew, she was the one for me.
After the paper work, Sophie came home. I already had a kitten that was just a year old. A bottle-fed baby I rescued from IARN, named Jazzy from another horrible cat hoarding situation. I also had a dog, Luna, whom I had rescued on Mother’s Day of 2020, soon after moving to the LC Valley. Luna was rescued from IARN as well. A gentle, sensitive soul.
Soph, as we call her, came into our house as if she had lived there from birth. She was not skittish, afraid, and walked right up to Jazzy, who quickly proceeded to back away, as he had never seen another cat, ever. She walked up to him, and immediately smacked him with her paw. He ran of course, and she was right behind him to play. He did not know how to kitten…but, Soph has been so good for him. She has taught him how to run and play and act like a kitten. Luna, who was use to Jazzy, but now had to contend with the little princess Sophie. Luna took her all of this in stride.
She looks like she could have a bit of Maine Coon in her DNA and definitely American Ringtail, due to the way she holds her tail curled up over her back. She is playful, inquisitive, and loves to be with me where ever I am. She comes and sits on the dryer when I load laundry into the washer, or on the desk when I pay bills. She just likes to be near you.
She has been a delight to have, and I could have a dozen, Sophie’s. We love her to pieces, as we do our Luna and Jazzy. Thank you, Helping Hands, for all that you do for these animals that have been abused, neglected and for giving them hope and a home until they find their fur-ever homes.
