Not too long ago, my husband and I woke up to growling and barking from our newest rescue, Odin. When he ran to the front door, we went out with him to see what was going on. A car sped out of our driveway and disappeared down the street. Soon thereafter, we found a sweet little dog in the yard.
She approached me tentatively, and
the sight broke my heart. She was in bad shape. She was emaciated and had sores
and scars all over her body. Her eyes were infected, and entire portions of her
body were hairless.
I went inside and got her some
food. When she didn't immediately run off after eating, I called the Humane
Society to let them know about her, but they didn't have room to take her. The
receptionist I spoke with reluctantly suggested I call Animal Control. I didn't
have the heart to do that, so my husband and I decided to keep her with us until
we could find a rescue willing to take her.
We put the call out to every
rescue group we knew, and did what we could for her in the meantime. We started
calling her Little Miss (or Missy for short). She was very well behaved. She
followed basic commands, walked on the leash, was house trained and very
loving. We were happy to keep her with us until we could find her a home, but
we couldn't afford another vet bill when we just paid hundreds of dollars for
Odin's care, were nursing an injured cat back to health, and were paying for
my physical therapy and related expenses.
Two days after we found her, we
thought we found a rescue to take her. A lady from the organization came out to
meet Missy. The lady said she had a foster dog that would be leaving to go to
his new family in a couple of days. If we could keep Missy until he left, she'd
take him to foster. We agreed with this.
The day Missy was supposed to go
to her new foster home came and went with no word from the rescue or their
foster home. I emailed the organization to find out what happened. The next
afternoon, we received a call informing us they decided not to take her until
her skin condition was treated because she could be contagious.
This was beyond discouraging. The
only other rescue who had a place for her gave it to another dog when the first
rescue agreed to take her. I was so upset, I cried. It wasn't fair to Missy
that she'd been neglected and now no one wanted to take her because of her skin
problems.
My friend Lisa from Ohio Little Rock
Lisa had extra money saved up, and
decided to use it by taking Missy to the vet. We learned what we thought was
the extent of her problems. She had bacterial dermatitis that had gone
untreated so long it resulted in all those sores and scars, an infection in her
eye, worms, possibly Lyme disease, and was seriously malnourished. The vet
started her on antibiotics, a special shampoo to help heal her wounds,
medication for hookworms, and a heart worm medication.
Over the course of the next few
days, Lisa decided to adopt Missy. We were all thrilled. Lisa would make a
great mommy for Missy, and Missy would make a great pet for Lisa.
They left for Ohio
Everything was progressing great,
and then last week, Lisa fractured her heel. She's now in a boot cast and may
require surgery.
This weekend, with Missy's skin
condition beginning to clear, Lisa was finally able to really get an idea of
what sort of scars she would have when all was said and done. But she didn't
expect to find a tumor underneath all the damage to Missy's skin.
They went back to the vet
yesterday, only for the vet to confirm that Missy has a tumor on her leg that will
impede her ability to walk and potentially cost her life if it's not removed. Missy
will undergo surgery on the 19th.
We are heartbroken, but no one
more so than Lisa. While she's only had Missy for a short while, Missy has
become her baby. Lisa has nursed her back from some pretty awful neglect, and
really made a home for her.
After everything this poor dog has
already been through, she's now facing surgery, which the vet estimates will
cost $1300.00, plus related care which pushes the total close to $2000.00.
Lisa is understandably scared.
Which of us wouldn't be when told a pet has a tumor and needs an expensive
surgery?
Which is why I'm writing now.
Lisa saw past Missy's sores and
scars and did something extraordinary by giving this neglected girl a forever
home. Most dogs like Missy are shooed away until they eventually find
themselves picked up by Animal Services and put down. They're given a life
sentence for a treatable condition, one that could have been prevented with
proper care.
Lisa gave Missy a home, now she
needs our help to ensure Missy continues to get the care she deserves.
One person alone finding an
additional two thousand dollars for treatment is overwhelming. For an entire
community, it can be as simple as each of us giving up one cup of coffee or one
meal out this week. That's not nearly as difficult, so I'm asking you guys to
join me in helping Lisa and Missy by donating a few dollars to help cover the
cost of Missy's surgery.
You can view Missy's page and make a donation here.
In the coming days, we'll be coming up with a list of rewards for donors -- like the opportunity to name a special character who will appear in FLAME, FEAR, and FOREVER. If you have something you'd like to donate as a prize, please let us know by posting a comment below.
And if you can't help, that's okay too. :)
Please just remember Missy's story, and help prevent others from suffering by making a point to report any suspected animal abuse or neglect to the Humane Society or the authorities.
Ayden
Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million
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