Rail Billing Coordinator Finds Four-legged Family at Bender Yard
A rail billing coordinator, Russell-
Podkulski has always been a soft touch
when it comes to animals. She took in her
first stray pups – a brother and sister
named Toby and Shawna – when she was
in junior high and has made countless
attempts over the years to coax animals
from the roadside into the safety of her
car. When she began work at Bender in
2006, her desire to care for the most
vulnerable critters really kicked into
overdrive.
Located just north of Houston, Bender
is a centrally-located facility surrounded
by woods, homes and highways. As
When she came to Martin Marietta,
Michelle Russell-Podkulski
expected to add a few skills to
her already diverse resume. What she
didn’t expect was that her time in the
Houston District’s Bender Yard would lead
her to become “mother” to a household
of four-legged friends.
“At that point, we were a one-dog,
one-cat home, so the idea that we’d have
an ‘Official Zoo Crew’ never crossed my
mind,” she says. “Since then, we’ve
grown to a family of six cats and three
dogs – all rescues – and we could never
imagine life without them.”
Reggie
8 January/February 2018 The Conveyor | www.martinmarietta.com
Russell-Podkulski says, “This area is an
easy place for people to dump animals
and, sadly, they do so from time to time.”
It’s something she says she’ll never
understand.
While she saw many a stray near Bender
in her early years with the company, it
wasn’t until 2009 that she took in her first
rescue from the site, a Dalmatian/pit mix
she quickly named Maddie.
“She was with a small group of dogs
bouncing around outside the window. I
went and called to them and when the
other dogs ran off, she came right over,”
she says. “I picked her up, put her in the
car and bought her a hamburger. By the
time we got to the end of the driveway,
I had already named her. She’s such a
love bug.”
A similar scenario played out four years
later, when Russell-Podkulski and a
co-worker rescued three kittens that had
found their way into Bender without a
“momma cat.” The kittens – Abbie,
Calie and Sammie – ultimately found a
“furever” home with Russell-Podkulski.
In 2016, the trio of cats was joined by
Reggie, a kitten born with no eyes that
somehow managed to traverse Bender’s
terrain until Russell-Podkulski trapped
him and took him for treatment.
“We’re still not sure where he came
from, but we first noticed him crossing
the street while he was dodging haul
trucks and loaders,” she says. “Today,
you’d never even know he was blind. He
runs with our other cats and dogs and
maneuvers all around the house.”
Later that year, the rail billing coordinator
participated in yet another rescue,
this time providing aid to an ailing dog
(Animal)
Heaven on Earth