Eating chili and saving homeless pets

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Dogs were being unloaded from the Sarasota County Humane Society’s van for people to admire and potentially adopt for the 9th Annual Chili Cookoff at the Red Barn on Sunday.

Chip White is part owner of the Red Barn. But, it’s the story of his dog which has inspired him to continually hold this event each year.

“I have had a Humane Society rescue from there, so I wanted to make sure we gave back to them as much as possible,” said White.

White’s adopted dog is a survivor, overcoming serious injury and homelessness.

“They felt that she was hit by a car and she was found outside the old dog track off Old Bradenton Rd. with mites, fleas, ticks—everything you could have as a dog,” he said. “They weren’t sure what they could do with her. It wasn’t a good prognosis. One of the vets who was there said, “I’m going to give it a try. We’ll remove the leg and see if we can save her life.”

With the leg removed, White renamed her “Lefty” as a reminder of the strong and courageous battle she fought at just two years old. He said he is grateful for the vet who wouldn’t give up on his fur baby, who he ended up adopting shortly after.

“I couldn’t be more thankful for that. I feel that Lefty feels the same way as well,” he said.

White explained each year the chili cookoff yields about five adoptions for dogs just like Lefty who deserve another chance. White said he’s always impressed with the amount of support he gets for this event year after year.

“It just shows that this is just such a big small town. Everybody will say, ‘man I remember 10-20 years ago.’ well, it hasn’t changed when it comes to this sense of community that Sarasota is,” said White.

Those who weren’t able to attend the event can visit the Sarasota County Animal Shelter to meet their animals, or go to their website to make a donation.