Posts by Foster Dog

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Why we do what we do...

(Warning: There are some graphic images here, so please be warned.)

Sometimes a situation is so horrific you're compelled to act. Sometimes, even if it's not your breed, you're sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what the ending is going to be like; and hoping against hope an angel will step forward where you can't.

This week, that happened to me with a Chihuahua boy that was being warehoused at the Humane Society shelter here in Waco. He had a horrific eye injury and his 3 day stray hold was nearly up...and we all know what that means. It was pretty obvious he needed medical attention, but he wasn't getting it, so as the clock ticked down, an out of town angel stepped in...actually two out of town angels.

Kristen Vilardi from the Beaumont area, who had adopted a blind Chihuahua from this shelter last fall, began posting little Frodo every where on Facebook she could think of. And in the process she tagged Kris Scally from the DFW area, and between the two of them, Frodo was going to get his second chance at life.

This was the photo that began the whole thing:


And when Frodo was picked up from the shelter by a local rescue group member to be transported quickly to a local vet for surgery, the eye was found to be much worse than anyone thought from the photo. Blood and puss were leeching out from the eye. And to make matters worse, the poor boy was horribly flea infested with bloody sores from the bites.

Pretty obviously this little boy was going to lose that eye. But even through the pain, he was wagging his tail and wanting attention. A happy boy despite his discomfort.

Here is the photo from the operating table. Under anesthesia, cleaned up and prepped for surgery:


Friday evening after his surgery, Frodo was reported to be doing well. He was wanting lap time with his rescuer and very happy to be out of the shelter and out of pain.

And this morning? Frodo was on his way to his new home in Ft. Worth. He'll be living as a foster with Kris and enjoying a happy and pain-free life while she looks for his forever home.

Seeing this little boy go from the horrible condition in that first photo to the one that follows is the main reason I think we do what we do. We may not be able to rescue and save them all, but we tackle it one by one and each time, we make a difference.