"Friends for Life"
 


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Every day Terri Walters(cq) gets out of bed, feeds the dogs and cats, cleans up their messes and strokes their coats. Then she heads to work where she feeds the dogs and cats, cleans up their messes and strokes their coats.
Walters manages Callaway Hills Animal Shelter in New Bloomfield, MO. The privately-owned, no-kill facility is home to the county’s discarded pets.
She knows the names and sad stories of each of the more than 100 dogs and 25 cats. There ‘s “Buddy” who came to the shelter with open sores around his neck infested with maggots. There’s “Roxie” who was slated along with her pups to be put down at another shelter. Then, there’s “Bullet” who survived a gun shot to his chest. Dozen more stories fill her head.
As Terri moves through her heavy chores of feeding, watering and cleaning, a chorus of howls follow her. “I’ve got to love on these dogs for a few minutes,” she says after watering and feeding a pair of long-time residents. Sometimes she plays “where’s the mouse?” lifting up the dog igloos for the pooches to search under.
She never goes into a pen without giving each dog personal attention. They are, afterall, friends for life.