At Green Meadow Veterinary Hospital we hear many inspiring stories of rescues, hope, and of new families found, but rarely do they involve a 1400 mile roundtrip for a kitten barely weighing a pound. In recognition of this rescue we call our tax-deductible charitable fund, in partnership with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Veterinary Charitable Care Fund, the ‘Bridge-It Bardough Fund’ (read the story to find out why).
The Story of Bridge-It Bardough
While on a motorcycle trip Memorial Day weekend 2015, my friends and I stopped at a covered bridge about 25 miles outside of Marietta OH. In spite of the noise of multiple, loud motorcycles, out from the bridge came one teeny gray kitten that was obviously very hungry. We fed her what we had and gave her water and went on our way to Marietta for the night.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the kitten all evening and found that there was a Humane Society shelter in town. I set my alarm for 6 a.m., intending to go back to the bridge to see if I could find the kitten. The next morning, I stopped at a grocery store, got a box, and headed out alone to find the kitten. On the way to the bridge I noticed a veterinary hospital that would be open that day. Fortunately for the kitten and me, that was Green Meadow Veterinary Hospital!
When I got to the bridge, out she came! I fed her, gave her water, put her in the box and secured the box to my bike. On my way back to town I stopped at the clinic. The little gray kitten was tended to by the wonderful staff. The veterinarian who examined the kitten thought she had a client that would be interested in adopting the kitty. I gave the clinic a “donation” for her care and boarding. With tears, I left.
We continued our trip but I could not get that little kitten off my mind. Upon my arrival home Sunday night, I told the story to my wife. I explained I had named the tiny kitten: “Bridge-it Bardough”, since she apparently was living on or near the bridge and I had spent some of my “bar dough” (☺) at the clinic. With Monday being a holiday, we agreed I should call Green Meadow first thing Tuesday morning and explain we would like to adopt “Bridge-it”. Luckily when I called Tuesday morning Bridge-it had not been promised and we could adopt her. I drove back (in a car!), 700+ miles to Marietta from Michigan that Thursday and picked up Ms. Bridge-it. When we took her to our own vet the following week, she weighed in at a whopping 1.3 pounds, a truly tiny bundle of fur but with a great deal of pluck!
When I brought Bridge-it to live with us, we had two Golden Retrievers and a Beagle mix. Upon her arrival that Thursday night, she emerged from the cat carrier and took over the house. She had no fear of the large curious dogs that were now “hers”. She never “took cover” or ran to hide…just walked out and basically “announced” her arrival. It has been that way now for almost three years. Sadly since her arrival we’ve lost her oldest Golden, Chuck, but she still has Lizzi and Louis P McGee to chase, harass, cuddle with, and at times “groom”.
We are so very fortunate that the “stars” aligned that weekend in May. Bridge-it has been such a wonderful addition to our family. We built her a new house that we all moved into just over a year ago. To her delight, it is perfect for running and “sliding”, playing with the dogs’ tennis balls, and has even more windows than her old house, for gazing at the wildlife. I think she is enjoying her life with us as much as we are enjoying her as a part of our family.
Thank you Green Meadow for taking such good care of that tiny bunch of fur until we could scoop her up and bring her to the “Wolverine State”.
PS…We do call her a “Stinkin’ Buckeye” on occasion since she remains loyal to OSU ☺. Her maternal ancestors would have been pleased.
Make a Contribution
Funds contributed are used here at Green Meadow Veterinary Hospital for charitable purposes. Individuals wishing to donate to The Bridge-It Fund may do so at Green Meadow Veterinary Hospital in person or use the Donate button below.
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation will record all donations and send tax receipts to all donors. If you have an amazing story of rescue or protection, feel free to submit it with your donation. (Green Meadow Veterinary Hospital reserves the right to edit all submissions based on length or content).