Isa

Isa is a sweet girl that holds a soft spot in my heart. We were notified about a white Boxer that was in really bad shape by a woman that we helped get her dog spayed. She said the dog was very skinny and looked sick. The next time we were on outreach we headed over to see what was going on with this dog. As we drove down the alley we saw one of the saddest sights we have seen so far on outreach. There looking at us behind a chain link fence was this very sad face attached to a skeleton of a dog. She looked at us like 'please help me!' We drove around to the front to see if the owner was home and find out what was happening with this dog. The woman would not talk to us and told us the dog was fine, then slammed the door in our face. We immediately called KCMO animal control and called in the address and situation. About two hours later we received a call from one of the officers saying they had impounded the dog due to cruelty and neglect.

When an animal is impounded on these charges, there is a five day hold on the animal before it can be pulled by a rescue group. This poor white skeleton had to wait five long days at the shelter before we could go and get her. We had no idea what she was like or what kind of health issues she had. After day five I finally got to go to the KCMO shelter and get this poor girl. They said she had gained some weight since she had been there, but she was so emaciated, you couldn't tell. I took her to our vet at Raytown-Gregory Animal Health Center to have her checked out. Thankfully this girl was heartworm negative! She had a mass on her chest that would need to be removed when she was in better health. She also appeared to have had many, many litters. The vet could find no reason for this girl to be so skinny than simply not being fed. Well, we changed that! This girl went into foster care with a volunteer and was eating up to 8 cups a day! We named her Isa, which means icing in another language for her beautiful white fur. At first Isa was aggressive towards other dogs, but quickly warmed up to the other dogs in her foster home. Within two weeks she looked like a totally different dog.

In a month's time Isa packed on 20 pounds! She was finally healthy enough to have her mass on her chest removed and be spayed at the same time. Dr. Chirpich at Raytown-Gregory Animal Health Center did a wonderful job on her surgery and Isa made it through with flying colors despite her old age. After Isa recovered from surgery, we decided it was time to start looking for a forever home for her. Within a couple weeks of listing Isa, the perfect family came along. They had another Boxer and loved the breed. They drove all the way from Jefferson City just to meet her. I think it was love at first sight! They spent some time with her, but I think the decision was made the moment Laci saw her. Isa went home with them that day and never looked back on her horrible, starved life. She is now constantly surrounded by love and spoiled rotten.

 

Sometimes our volunteers get so depressed from doing outreach every week and just want to quit. But it's stories like this that keep our fire fueled and keep us going. If we hadn't been there to save Isa, who knows what would have happened to her. We saved her from starving to death and now she is part of a very loving family. Thank you so much to the Greer family for taking this old lady into your home and giving her everything she deserves!

June

I have been wanting to get June's story out there for a while, so here it is! Marilyn and I found June the day after Christmas while on outreach. It was late in the day and we had a couple more stops before we were going to call in quits. We went driving by a house and I saw a smaller black dog huddled up next to a crappy wooden dog house. Something in me said go back and check on her. So we stopped and knocked at the door and asked if we could put some straw in the dog's house? The lady that answered said yes, so we went back to see the situation. I bent down next to the dog and went to pet her. She jerked away and let out a horrible cry. That's when I noticed she was tied to a pole with just a shoe string. I looked down at her neck and that's when the odor of rotting flesh hit me. I got a closer look and the shoe string was also wrapped around her neck and completely embedded in her skin. I felt the blood boiling in me, I was so angry and so sad for this girl. I went back to the door and confronted the lady about the dog's condition. Apparently the dog is her father's and he wasn't home at the time. I asked when the last time someone checked on this dog, and she said the kids did this morning. I explained that a wound like that doesn't just happen in one day. We gave the lady two options, she could either sign over the dog to Jade's Mission or we would call animal control and wait for them to get there. The woman reluctantly signed the dog over. We went back and cut her free from the 2 foot radius that was this dog's living hell. I noticed that she had no water and all that was in her food bowl was onions and some rotten lettuce.

We took this poor dog to the vet that night where she received antibiotics and a pain injection. We set her up in a warm cage with blankets, canned dog food, and fresh water. She seemed so relieved to be out of the cold and more comfortable. The next morning, the dog, now known as June, was prepped for surgery. It took over 30 minutes to clip and clean up her neck. And on closer look, as we were cutting away the first shoe string, another one was found even deeper in her neck. I knew what this meant, these people knew that one string was already embedded when they tied the second one around her neck. It made me sick and so mad. June's surgery lasted almost 2 hours. Her injury went all the way around her neck. Sections of scar tissue had to be cut away. It was a very tricky surgery too, because the injuries were very close to her trachea and jugular veins. Dr. Utz at Raytown-Gregory Animal Health Center did a wonderful job literally putting June's neck back together. When the surgery was complete, it looked like her head had been reattached! I want to warn you that the next set of pictures are somewhat graphic, I wanted people to see the extent of her injuries.

June recovered very well from surgery and actually woke up wagging her tail!

The next day June received all her vaccinations and was heartworm tested. Unfortunately June came up positive for heartworms. I knew this girl had an even longer road to recovery. I worried about her neck not healing as well as it should since heartworm disease can put a lot of stress on the immune system and body. That night, June went to a very special foster home with Sara and her family! June acted like nothing had ever happened to her, she has the best spirit! She has been getting along great with the other dogs in her foster home and she loves her foster mom and dad! June had her stitches removed a couple weeks ago and her neck looks so great! It just goes to show that a little love goes a long way! 

June will begin her heartworm treatment in a couple weeks, this will be another long recovery for her. Sometimes I think we are meant to find some of these animals in distress. I am so thankful that we stopped that day to help June, otherwise I'm sure she would have died in that backyard with no one loving her. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to June's fund to cover her surgery costs! We can't save and help dogs like June without your help! We will keep everyone updated on June's recovery and when she is finally able to start looking for a forever home on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JadesMission