Dogs need YOUR help NOW!
There are times when rescues just have to grovel. This is it. These pictures are just a small number of dogs that we are saving right now at a huge cost.
We have Jessie an American Bulldog used as a bait dog in Florida and nearly torn to bits. Jessie was pulled from the shelter, healed with veterinary help and has been tucked safely at our foster in Georgia for weeks. Jessie underwent surgery to remove 7 tumors last week as well as had a rotted tooth extracted. She is healing well, being loved, and learning about what safety feels like. Her bill topped $1200.
Betty was pulled from a NC shelter when she made the dreaded euthanasia list. Shortly after pulling her, we found that she was heartworm positive. She underwent fast kill heartworm treatment and has been in boarding for months as we wait to retest and transport. Her bill will top $2000.
Chewy is a tiny wired hair terrier, 9 weeks old found as a stray in Texas who would most certainly have died on the streets or by injection at the shelter. This tiny sweet boy was literally covered in ticks. We pulled him from the shelter, boarded him, vaccinated, treated him and brought him to Vermont where he became very sick. He has been in ICU for nearly two weeks. His bill will top $2000.
The momma on her back nursing her 10 pups was a desperate plea from a person at the Texas shelter. She did not want to see this little terrier momma die because she was shy and protective of her babies. She reached out to me and offered to foster them for the next 8-10 weeks and socialize them, get mom feeling safe, and ready for a new life.
Lastly is Samuel an Old English Bulldog pup that was on the euthansia list in a high kill shelter in GA. After we pulled him we were informed that he was HW positive. UGH! Once we pull, we treat. He has been on three weeks of antibiotics and will begin HW treatment next week. Again he is boarded with our saint of a foster Lynit. His bill will top $700.
On Monday I received a call about a terrier mom whose pups were adopted and she was left behind to die. She has mastitis. The vet called me from Texas tonight. While trying to express her milk, her mammary literally ruptured. Can you imagine the pain that she was in? But she is just another mother dog. Disposable….without worth. She will undergo surgery tomorrow. She will be on antibiotics and pain meds until she is healed. A foster stepped up and has been expressing milk and putting warm compresses on this poor girl multiple times per day. This is a woman in Texas whose only agenda is to save dogs. She does not know me or expect anything in return…except perhaps the satisfaction of knowing that this girl will not be discarded. This surgery tomorrow will top $400.
These are throw away dogs. They have no discernible pedigree, their stories of life on the street, abuse, starvation, embedded chains, and dog fighting are salacious in the moment, but the moment passes and they are just the contents of a trash bag out behind the shelter. I challenge you to look in the face of each one of these dogs and imagine saying no to life, happiness and safety.
I am putting on the brakes to helping any more dogs. We cannot sustain the level of care that we offer by adoption fees alone. We work tirelessly, fund raising, we offer products for sale on our website, we design and create our calendars, beg,have pie sales….we do it all and yet the numbers are growing and not in the way that we need.
Please, if you can spare anything. Every dollar does count, but more dollars are even better. If every person who liked one of our posts donated (tax deductible) $10.00…that’s like 3 morning coffees, we could sleep better tonight. I do not know what else to say except that we really need support to continue doing the work we do. Donations can be made through our website, www.vermontenglishbulldogrescue.com.