Hey, Effin' Memphis readers. Here's an important story about a Memphis area man, the animals he rescues and the struggles they're facing after his rescue was hit by a tornado last week. ANIMAL LOVERS, PAY ATTENTION. Read it, share it and do what you can to help! - Ed.
by Cassie Fox
Last Saturday night, I sat in my living room in south Tipton County, following the weather closely as thunder boomed outside my window and lightning lit up the sky. I am the weather fanatic in our family, and during any storm, I can be counted on to have Channel 5’s Dave Brown on the TV, Channel 3’s radar on my laptop, the weather radio plugged in and stocked with fresh batteries, and Twitter and Facebook opened up side by side so that I can toggle between all the weather personalities I follow. This particular system was pretty weak by the time it crossed the river, and the worst of it for us only lasted about twenty minutes. I had gone back upstairs at the last fading sound of thunder, and was settling in for the night when I noticed we were inexplicably under a tornado warning; thirty seconds of panic later, I realized it was only for the southernmost east corner of the county, as well as neighboring Fayette, so I left Dave on and fiddled around online for a few minutes. Maybe half an hour later, I posted this status update to my Facebook wall:
“When Dave Brown says, "Uhhh, this is not good", you feel a little pukey on the inside. Hope Fayette County isn't as bad as they're making it sound. ”
Unfortunately, it was that bad, but mainly for one man, and his animals. This is their story.
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Bill Funk is the kind of Marine they make movies about. He served his country during a decade when doing so wasn’t popular – from 1960 to 1966, through the Cuban missile crisis and the assassination of a president, from the worst of a war that devastated and divided a nation to the end of an era defined by long-haired hippies and the sounds of Hendrix and The Who – and was stationed at Guantanamo Bay before it was a political buzzword. He’s been married, fathered children, watched his grandchildren grow, and loved his Lord through it all. Semper Fi means “always faithful”, and Bill has remained constantly faithful to his idea of what a man should be – strong in heart and mind, kind and compassionate to those in need, loyal to those who love him. He doesn’t take any crap, but he won’t give you any, either, unless you are entirely deserving of it.
About twenty years ago, Bill founded what would eventually become the K9 Savior Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit, non-specific breed dog rescue that started off small and has grown into a sanctuary for any animal needing a loving, caring home, whether for a short time or forever. His ranch in Fayette County currently houses over one hundred dogs, as well as several cats, horses, and even rabbits. Every morning at 4 a.m., seventy-one year old Bill wakes up and starts his day, one that is largely comprised of taking care of all the K9 animals. Dogs are walked, horses fed, kennels checked, and so it goes. It’s a huge undertaking, but one Bill accepts readily and without complaint. Some time ago, it was made known that Bill no longer wanted to take on any further animals; however, people continued to drop sick, wounded, and unwanted dogs in his area, and, faithful as always, Bill could not turn them away.
The tornado warning I heard that night turned out to be the real thing. At about 9:30 p.m., an F-1 tornado dropped down in one strangely small spot, a spot that turned out to be Bill’s barn and kennel area. Trees snapped like tiny twigs, and the barn was completely destroyed, as well as all the outdoor kennels; one dog died when trees fell directly on top of the kennel he was inside, and one cat was lost, but fortunately, all other animals survived. Bill was distraught – these are animals he has nursed back from the brink of death, comforted when they were lonely, and saved from sad lives that knew no love. They are family to him. Fortunately, Bill is part of a network of dedicated animal rescuers, and when they heard the news, they jumped into action. Within hours, word was spreading at an incredible rate, mostly using Facebook as a way to get news and updates out. The next morning, hundreds of people showed up at the ranch; they brought chainsaws, and shovels, and food, and most of all, they brought a selfless determination to fix things, both for Mr. Bill, and for Mr. Bill’s animals. Those who couldn’t come in person shared flyers and posts, donated money, and passed information on to their friends and family. By Tuesday, nearly $3,000 had been raised, thanks to generous Mid-Southerners.
There’s still work to be done. Most of the animals need foster homes while the ranch is rebuilt, but permanent, loving homes would be even better. Kennels must be purchased and rebuilt, the dogs need volunteers to walk, feed, and water them, and supplies must be replenished, especially large volumes of dog food and stainless steel bowls that were lost in the storm. So much has already been accomplished, but this will be an ongoing project for quite some time, and volunteers will be continuously needed. A sense of community and a desire to do good in the face of disaster is not unusual, but Bill Funk does it every day. Every day. From before the sun comes up until it sinks behind the horizon, he works tirelessly for those who can’t help themselves. If you can find a little time or money to help him out, please visit the K9 site for information on what you can do to ease the burden of someone used to shouldering it all, partly in the name of duty, and partly in the name of just being a good human being.
Cassie Fox is a writer, a mom, a wife, a photographer, and an avid fan of British television, though not necessarily in that order. In her spare time, she reads books in the bathtub and quotes Anchorman as often as possible in her everyday conversations (though not necessarily in that order.)
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