OT. Dog Lovers update

[SouthCarolinaViking]

Been awhile.


We’ve fostered a lot of dogs since I last posted but I’ve
got to tell everyone about this girl.


We got her July 3rd. My wife has been volunteering
at the humane society for a few months now. She goes in at 9 am until 11 am on
Sundays and (along with other volunteers) brings all of the dogs out of their
cage, one by one, so they can get a walk in. The society is closed on Sundays
so they rely on volunteers to let the dogs out.


Our last three or four fosters have come from there. Most are
in pretty bad shape. Not adoptable until they get healthy.


Well, my wife met this girl one Sunday in late June. She had
a very bad case of this certain mange that is not contagious. She was down to
bones and 90% of her hair was gone. She would cause sores and bleeding from
biting and licking on certain areas (I imagine the itching is horrible).




We couldn’t really pet her because her skin was so raw. She
had some hair on the top of her head so we could pet her there and she just
loved it. Such a sweet girl who, God only knows, last received any love and
attention. She was definitely not adoptable and would be put down.


The next week she was still there, so my wife asked Passion
for Paws in Vermont if they would sponsor her if we fostered. And they said
yes.


Got her home on July 3rd. We would bathe her
everyday with a medicated shampoo and got her on antibodies. She developed this real
bad cough the next week and quit eating. We couldn’t even give her pills
because she wouldn’t eat. Hot dogs, cheese you name it. We couldn’t even force
it down her throat.


We took her to the vet to see about an IV for her medicine
but her skin was too tough. They did manage to give her two injections of
antibodies.


The following week she seemed to be getting better and slowly
eating again. Then she kept improving. We took this picture this past weekend.




She is filling out beautifully. Her energy is up and she’s
eating twice a day. You can just sense that this is a different dog than 1
month ago. She is so super-sweet and loves nothing more than getting loves. She
still got some hair to grow back on her chest and a couple of other areas. We’re
so looking forward to the next month or two. She’s gonna make someone a very
happy dog-owner.

[Guest]

That is noble work,  how are you able to foster them back to health and let them leave you though?  That has to be tough.  I also wonder how that affects a mentally broken animal to go from such a low into a loving home and then get sent to a new home once again.  Do they get depressed and stuff or are they good to go once they are healthy?

[Guest]

Our first foster was in horrible shape. After getting her healthy we had to keep her.





We realize that we can't keep them all. If we keep any of these dogs we won't be able to save any more..........and there are a LOT of them down here that needs our help.


So far every dog that we've fostered have all been permanently adopted. Sometimes, it's like "Man, I'm gonna miss that sweetie" but overall it's scary thinking about what the dog is feeling.

They can get attached to us and it's probably sad and definitely scary for the dog. But these rescuers really do a great job. The potential adopter is thoroughly vetted and pay a high price for these dogs.

We had a foster fly out to her home a week ago last Saturday. He was in bad shape and it took a while to get him healthy. He really got attached to my wife. He went straight to his adopted home and he's doing great. He loves his new owner and she loves him right back.

I think that as long as these guys go to a loving home, they'll do fantastic. If they're not already adopted, they'll go to another loving foster home. They won't ever again see the inside of a dog pound.

[Guest]

I am so glad to hear this little sweetie is on the mend. There are some very sick and cruel people out there unfortunately. Your kindness and compassion is making a difference.

[Guest]

That's fantastic!

[Guest]

I admire what you and your wife are doing.  Our yellow lab and golden retriever are part of our family.  Brothers from different mothers.  

[Guest]

You put a smile on my face with these posts, SC.  Thanks for sharing.  You and your wife are awesome!

[Guest]

this makes me so happy man. god bless you and the work you do for these animals. i will do this someday. 

[Guest]

Awesome job, SCV. I look forward to your posts so much! You and your wife are doing wonderful,  wonderful things for these awesome dogs. My bestie and I foster cats and we've ended up keeping 4 of our fosters...eeek....so we have a total of 6 cats. It started out innocently enough....
I have noticed 2 things about animal welfare in this country of late: All the numbers for animals in foster, animals in shelters, animals in rescues, and animals being put down seem to keep climbing in very alarming numbers...BUT I also see so many people like you and your wife trying so hard to help. There are more rescues in my state of North Dakota than ever before and so many good-hearted people that coordinate transports, fund raising, foster homes, updates on social  media and free spay/neuter clinics. I often wonder when all of this will reach those who seem oblivious to the pet overpopulation problem....but I am thankful that there are many big hearts out there fighting the good fight.
God bless you both and thank you for sharing another wonderful happy ending, SCV!