Antelope Valley Dog and Cat Rescue, Inc.

THIS IS AN EXERPT OF AN ARTICLE THAT RAN IN THE ANTELOPE VALLEY PRESS ON 07/04/2010

             WOMAN RUNS DOG AND CAT RESCUE IN PEARBLOSSOM

Walking past outdoor kennels at Antelope Valley Dog an d Cat rescue in Pearblossom

79year old Vilma Drever wore a large straw hat to ward off the sun. It helps with shade but not with the heat.

“In the summer I fry and in the winter I freeze said Drever”, who founded the rescue more than a dozen years ago and purchased the 8-acre property in 1998. “But it’s hotter for the animals because they’re wearing fur coats.

Actually all the kennels have tarps for shade and they all have wading pools and or tubs of water to cool off. In.  They’re all happy, they know what  it’s like to have to struggle and they’re just happy not to have to struggle anymore.

Drever was nominated as a hero by kay Hopkins who wrote .” when most people in their late 60’s are relaxing and taking life easy, Vilma was rescuing abandoned animals from being dumped in the desert. Dumped and left to hopelessly   fend for themselves , their only hope for survival  was Vilma,

Two hip surgeries have not stopped vilma from years of relentless time consuming, frustrating, successful and rewarding rescues.

She has spent many all night vigils, and endured 6 miserable hours with another volunteer in (a) snowstorm to rescue 2 shivering dogs.

I tell everyone that I was born with a puppy under one arm and a kitten under the other.

Drever said.

Drever recounted the May rescue in Rosamond.. She received a call from a woman who was feeding a stray dog who lived under a storage container with her newborn puppies.

The mother of the puppies to get food would cross busy streets too get food from garbage cans at fast food restaurants,then brought the scraps back to the hole she dug under the container.

We used food to lure Mommy out from under the container,and with the help of several volunteers we got 2 of the puppies out. The first night.

I asked the (Kern County)  Fire Department to help, but they ssaid it was private property. The next day we dug some more but we couldn’t get the babies because they were blocked by girders and skids. I called several agencies and news teams but couldn’t get any help.

Drever pleaded her case once more with the Fire Department and finally convinced them to help.