The ruckus created by some dogs awakened Gloria Fernandes in the dead of the night and what caught her attention immediately was the pitiful cry of one dog that was barely audible above the din. Even though it was raining at the time, Fernandes could not ignore that cry, so she braved the rain, slipping several times on the wet grass in the process, but in the end the mission was completed: the dog was rescued.
Today the dog, which she has named Girly and was “skin and bone” when she rescued her, is one of her ten pets and sleeps in her home. Girly was led to Fernandes’s McDoom, Greater Georgetown fence and left there by her previous owner, because persons near and far know she has a soft spot for dogs and cannot turn a blind eye to their plight.
At 69, Fernandes has felt the pain of life and has struggled through years of depression and at one time even alcoholism. Today she is described by many as the ‘lonely little old lady’ but she is kept busy not only providing for her ten dogs, but the many others left tied to her fence and even assists her neighbours with theirs when they are overseas.