Maddy: Special Girl with a Huge Heart

There are so many special furbabies in need of help.  They are termed hard cases because of one reason or another.  Maddy is one such pup.  The reason she was considered a hard case was because of the fact she was neglected and as a result, she developed a condition called Demodex Mange.  She was seized, along with her brother, after a Good Sam reported spotting them in the backyard, suffering in horrible conditions.  Animal Control stepped in and Maddy found herself at the Pasadena Humane Society.

Demodex mange is non-contagious and is caused by common skin mites that irritate the skin when a dog is under great stress, causing the hair to fall out, and eventually large, painful welts develop.  The stress on the immune system is awful, but the condition is easy to treat.

When I got the good news that TLC had a spot for this hard case pup, my twin 7 year old daughters and I headed to the shelter to pick her up.  After filling out the paperwork, we waited in the lobby, excited to see this girl and feeling that wonderful feeling inside, knowing this life was going to be saved!  A few minutes later, the shelter director emerged from the medical ward with a giant dog bed, inside of which, a little partially hairless head peeked out at us.  I remember thinking what big, beautiful eyes this girl had.  They were kind and trusting, and most of all - grateful. 

I swooped her up in my arms, bedding and all, and my daughters and I headed back to our car.  The girls took turns in the back holding this little peanut, careful not to move her too much in case her skin was sore.  We took her back to our house to pick up another foster and jumped back in the car to adoptions where the TLC volunteers would take their first look at this peanut.  We loved this girl already, and decided to call her Maddy  in honor of one of my beautiful little neices. 

When we got to adoptions, Linda, the Director of TLC, looked her over real good and declared that she'd be feeling much better in a day or two.  Her mange was probably on a scale of about a 4 out of 10 - not too bad so it wouldn't be long until she'd be healthy enough to adopt out. 

Linda took her home and began the process of healing her with daily baths and medications.  About 6 weeks later, Maddy returned to adoptions and my daughters and I were quite blown away to see a totally different dog. 

Maddy is BEAUTIFUL!

She still has big, beautiful eyes that are not only grateful, but happy now!  This baby girl has the best personality.  She LOVES to give kisses and she is tender and gentle with children who respect her smaller size.  I have seen other dogs try to engage her in play, tugging at her ears and annoying her, yet she takes it like a champ - playing if she feels like it or walking away if she's not in the mood.  Maddy is one of those dogs that I can honestly say we'd have adopted already ourselves, if we weren't at our max!  She is just that special. 

A few months ago, I put together a video of Maddy, in the hopes someone would see how very special she is and adopt her into their loving home.  She was a puppy when she was pulled, but we are now approaching a year since she's been in foster care.  Her demodex had come back and was cleared again, so she had been in a holding status.  Under stress, it can flare up.  This is unfair for Maddy, who should really have spent her puppyhood as somebody's furever baby.  Black dogs tend to get overlooked without even given half a chance, but this girl is not only gorgeous, she is one of the most special girls out there.  Her heart is truly beautiful.

Check out here video by clicking on the link here: Maddy's Video and come in to meet her in person.  She has come close a few times to being adopted, but is still waiting for just the right family to finally call her very own!  Perhaps she is waiting for you...
~ Jen