Donations Are Down

A huge thank you to those who have donated. Your help means more than you know. It makes it possible for us to keep rescuing homeless pets.

A sure sign of the economy is when our donations are down. And they are down. Please know that no amount is too small. Every $10 adds up. Even $5. It all helps.

When we take in homeless animals whether from a puppy mill or from a shelter where the pet is scheduled to be put to sleep or an owner has decided to give up their pet, we get all the vetting done before the pet is put up for adoption. All of it gets done. Your donations help to make this possible.

Bella has rotted teeth in the back of her mouth. After her puppies, when she's spayed she'll also get a dental.

None of the dogs that came from that puppy mill had received an ounce of care until they arrived at the UC shelter. None. One of the dogs had a huge hernia, another an eye problem, most of them have neglected teeth. Bella is due to have 6 puppies; there will be expenses involved with that.
All the dogs taken in, including the puppies to come, will receive whatever they need for their health. Your donations go directly to the pets care.

What do these things cost?
Rotting teeth: $500
Puppy care: $800
Free from a puppy mill & into a loving home: Priceless!

I'll post an update tomorrow.

There Will Be 6 Puppies!

Here's her x-ray. If you look real closely in the bottom right you'll see white lines. That's a puppy! You can make out the spine & head. And there's 5 more. We counted them all.

The vet gave her prenatal vitamins. Bella did great while at the vet's office. She wandered around on her leash checking things out. Must be quite a treat for her after spending her entire life in a wire cage. Those days are over!

Updates will continue.

Bella's Story

Bella is a rescue dog who came from a puppy mill. The conditions were so horrific that the Union County, NC animal control confiscated all the dogs at the end of December, 2008. In total, 27 dogs were taken and kept at the county shelter until the court made it's ruling on January 16th. Two of the dogs died from illness and one was being fostered by a shelter staff member. That left 24 dogs needing rescue.

After the judge gave custody to the county the dogs were given to a non-profit 501c3 organization.

Bella, a 4 year old Shih-Tzu, is pregnant. This is how she looked the first night I had her:

She'd arrived at the shelter so full of matts they had to call in a groomer to shave them off. There was no other way to clean her up.

You're probably wondering why she had a bandage on her leg. So was I. She had a gash on the back of her leg with puss so the following day I took her to the vet. After examining it the vet said she needed to go into surgery to have it cleaned out and stitched up.
This is how it looked once the vet got in there:

That's not the worst part either. The vet phoned after surgery to tell me she found Super Glue deep inside the wound! A puppy miller would do this instead of paying to take the dog to the vet. She was started on antibiotics and sent home.

It took four days before Bella wagged her tail. She was totally unsocialized and every time I'd touch her she'd nearly jump out of her skin. She's in a low ex-pen in the kitchen and that's become her safe haven.


She's sweet as they come and despite being so frightened she's never shown a hint of aggression. She loves her bed with her soft blankets. The "home" she had previously consisted of an above-ground wire cage with no bedding, no blankets; nothing at all for comfort.

Bella is coming along with her house training. It took over a week but now when I ask her if she wants to go out she'll come to the gate of the ex-pen.
Tomorrow it's back to the vet to have the stitches taken out. We'll also get an x-ray for a puppy count.

Until tomorrow........