Just some warm fuzzies....

Although we are passionate about rescue and saving these little guys' lives, sometimes it can really be a grueling thing to go through... There's never enough money to get all the vet care some of these shelter dogs need... We are limited by the number of dogs we can save in ratio to the number of foster homes we have... The puppymills keep churning out 'product' while at the end of the production line (shelters and rescues) we simply cannot keep up with the onslaught of too many unwanted companion animals and not enough good homes to go around... 

And then every once in awhile, something happens and you just know in your heart of hearts you are doing the right thing despite all the adversity you encounter... Last week it was Charleyboy finding his furever home just in time for the Christmas holidays... And yesterday it was Walter finding his furever home too!


I don't believe I have ever seen a more sorely neglected little one come through the shelter system before Walter... I'm sure there have been some, but he certainly was the worst I have ever seen... The 'less than perfect' dogs are the ones that normally get passed by, so I thought Walter might be with us for quite some time... But when the shelter contacted me about Walter, I just KNEW it was NOT his time to die... Despite the poor condition of his coat and shape of his mouth, Walter's demeanor was just so absolutely sweet... And his little 'giddy-up gait'?... And that little tongue that just sticks out at you... Priceless... Pure canine gold in a petite and darling package!


Walter won the hearts and a great furever home yesterday and we are just SO happy for the little guy!... THESE are the warm fuzzies that rejuvenate us, motivating us to keep doing what we do, despite everything!


WAY TO GO, WALTER!


 

Introducing... Walter!

At TLC, we foster a lot of puppies because we have the policy of pulling the hard cases consistently... Puppies always adopt fast, but the hard cases always take time to rehabilitate and/or get healthy again before they can get adopted... And with getting healthy for the hard cases, always comes heavy vet bills... 

Every once in awhile, we come upon a dog in the shelters that we just scratch our head and for the life of us, can not figure out WHY the dog arrived in the shelters to begin with... Or why anyone would allow a family member to get into such poor shape... Such is the case with Walter on both points... 

The shelter thought he was about 10 years old because he arrived thin, dehydrated and in such overall poor general condition... Once we took Walter to our vet, she believes he is half that age, but just sorely neglected for a VERY long time... 

Walter is just the sweetest little munchkin EVER~!!!... He has a wag for everyone he meets and despite it being a 'rat tail' because he's lost all the hair on it (plus on various other spots of his body), he wags his tail all of his heart!

We don't know how his coat is going to eventually turn out, but with good nutrition and medicated baths every two days plus vitamin E and other supplements, it just takes time and TLC to bring him back.

He arrived in the shelter with an open wound underneath his right eye and the shelter folks thought he just didn't like being kenneled, so he rubbed the bars... Turns out, Walter had a cracked back molar down to the root, it developed an abscess and burst through the skin!

He's been in already to get a dental and have that molar (and a few others) removed.  Walter should now be able to gain back some weight... especially that is not painful to eat now that his mouth is straightened out... 

We have yet to hear Walter bark... He's content to sit in your lap and cuddle, or curl up in a doggie bed by your feet... Walter has a stiff gait to his rear legs that is just precious to see!  And because he's missing a canine on the one side, his little tongue hangs out a bit... His Walter kisses are just as precious and sweet too!

We will get Walter healthy and once he gains a bit of weight, he'll be ready for adoption to the right home (no small children or big dog breeds for Walter is only 3.4 pounds and when he gains enough weight, still under 4 pounds).

And in the spirit of the Christmas season, a fellow Chi lover donated $10 for each of her friends to pay for Walter's dental instead of giving gifts: 

Dan S., Elly C., Michael J. D., Randeep B., Cindy C., Ellen M., Eleen V., Matthew K., Lisa A.M., Charlie W., Edward M., Scott John M., Paul M., Debbie S., Rob K., Tiffany O., Michael W., Stacy C., Lisa K., Siraj M., Birdie S., Theresa E., G Koji S., Aj M., and Scott Morgan C.

What a lovely way to share the joy of the holiday season, huh?  Walter's sending each one a Walter kiss which is absolutely priceless!