Fairy Godmothers Do Exist
by admin
Two rotting, moldy mattresses balanced against a fence patched with the sides of an old baby crib. In the crease of one falling half way to the ground, laid a medium-sized shepherd-looking dog. A look of solemn defeat could be read in his half-open eyes. His limbs loosely dangled over the side. Deep contusions graced his head and foot, purple in color. When the man pulled on this leg, urging him to get up, the dog barely raised his head before falling back to the mattress in a limp thud. That that point, Scott scooped him up from below like a child, carried him across the dirt yard and laid him in the back of the car before we headed to the Emergency Vet.
This was how we became part of a journey that began several months ago. It started in the area of town where a police officer stands guard at the entrance to the Food Mart, cardboard covers many windows and a chain link fence surrounds every yard, including the church. There, a lady, that I will call M, came across a friendly Boxer mix as she left the grocery store. The dog was brown in color with a deep black muzzle and had a tail that never stopped wagging. Her gentle eyes begged for affection. Swept away by the dog’s delightful personality, M returned to the store to visit her canine friend on several occasions. When the dog’s hunger became overly apparent, M began looking for the dog’s home, wondering if she had one. She soon came to find out that the dog belonged to a family that lived just a block from the store. She lived there with her three puppies, very large, nearly grown puppies.
Mama and her "babies" (photo courtesy of M)
Guided by what I can only imagine is a heart of gold and the courage of a warrior, M introduced herself to the family. She communicated with them through the only family member fluent in English, a nine-year-old girl. Eventually, M came to find out that the dog’s name was Chiva. The family bred her intentionally with the hopes of selling her puppies for $100 each. When they could not sell them, they dropped the price to $50, then $25 and eventually free… eight months later, three still had not found a home. Zero veterinary care, three females and one male all coming into their sexual maturity (dog’s don’t worry about incest), a lack of food, and a fence that could no longer contain all of them was creating a difficult situation, that was about to get much worse.
With no dog experience, M reached out for help and found two friends of mine. Unfortunately, as volunteers these stories are far too common and our resources are extremely limited. There was nowhere for them to go and the family wasn’t even sure they wanted to give them up. So, instead, the volunteers and M focused on what they could do. Chiva and the male dog, Negro, were taken to the Vet, given a full medical update and spayed/neutered… all via M’s generosity. They each stayed in a foster home to recover and then were returned to the family. An appointment was made for the other two girls, Gaviota and Pelusa to be spayed shortly after.
The next day, we received word that Chiva had returned!
Chiva (photo courtesy of M)
Several hours later, Negro and Gaviota crawled back into the fence as well – we dashed over there to pick up Gavi.
Gaviota
When we arrived, however, we found Negro laying limp on those mattresses, in obvious distress. His eyes melted my heart and I instantly fell in love with him. Fortunately, the family recognized that they could not provide the care he obviously needed and the nine-year-old girl relayed that they would give him up. Like a fairy Godmother, M insisted that we run Negro to the Emergency Vet, offering full sponsorship if we would foster him. Four very nerve-wracking hours later, Negro went home with us. Following x-rays and blood work, he was diagnosed with one fully collapsed lung, one partially collapsed lung and severe internal contusions. His injuries indicated that he had been hit by a car. We were sent home with antibiotics, pain medications and strict instructions to regulate his temperature and activity for four to six weeks.
Major
Both Gaviota (we call her Gavi) and Negro (now named Major in M’s honor) have been with us for several days now. They have wonderful personalities and crave any attention they can get. Extremely submissive, Gavi spends most of her time on her back asking for belly runs. Both of them are doing well with the other dogs and enjoy exploring the yard and house. Major’s mood has improved significantly and despite his healing injuries, he appears to be feeling much better. Both dogs warmed up to being inside the house much faster than I expected and fully claimed their crates as their own. They both have made perfect nests out of the blankets in them. When Major’s medications kick in, causing drowsiness, he retires to his kennel, appearing to be completely content. Gavi and Pelusa made it to their Veterinary appointments on time and are now spayed. Pelusa’s injury has been examined and will heal the best that it can. Next week, another foster will take in Gavi so that her and Major can develop independently and get more of the attention they crave.
Major in his kennel.
All of us continue to worry about Chiva and the care that she is getting. M checks in on her and will keep doing so. As of yesterday, Chiva was being allowed into the home, given a bath, taken on walks and showered with affection. We are hoping the family’s new found affection for their sweet dog will continue. It is obvious they care for her, whether they continue to have the means to give her what she needs we can only hope for.
Without M’s involvement, this problem would have compounded itself. More puppies would have arrived by now, Major may not have survived his injury, Pelusa would have continued to suffer and none of them would have enough food to eat or the attention they desire. “Just one unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years.” Think of that suffering. Instead, M saw a problem and refused to give up until it was fixed. I cannot think of any better way to describe her than a Fairy Godmother. The world could use more of her!
I am certain this story has many more chapters ahead. But, so far, I like its direction.
Happy Gavi
Love this story!!
Thank you so much Sharon! I really do get to meet the best people through these dogs! You included!
Stories like this make me wish I had millions of dollars and dozens of acres of land and could care for all these poor dogs. Trying not to feel angry at the owners. Thanks for posting.
I try really hope that we educated the owners enough to understand their mistakes and then I focus entirely on the good that comes out of each story. Otherwise, I go crazy! Thanks so much for reading and commenting! It means the world!
It’s great to hear there are wonderful people like M. Keep up your spirits and fantastic work. Looking forward to reading more success stories! I wish I could be there to help!
Love, Mom
Thanks Mom! You are always a big help!