Velcro

Velcro Before

On a dark evening in late fall, a car traveling down a country road in Newfane slowed, rolled down a window…and a tiny calico kitten was tossed out on the side of the road. Fortunately, a young woman driving behind that car saw what happened and stopped to see if she could help. Though she couldn’t get the license number of the fleeing car, she scooped up the pathetic kitty, which was shaken, dirty and had a bloody nose and all the fur scraped off its chin. Then she called Save-A-Pet to see if we could save this kitty.

At that point, Laurie, Save-A-Pet’s Cat Officer, took over. Her first step was to take the kitty to one of our cooperating veterinarians for treatment and evaluation. It was determined that the cat was only about four weeks old, but since her jaw wasn’t broken and she was still frisky, she should be able to overcome her trauma.

The first few days in Laurie’s home were tough. Since the kitten’s lower jaw and lip had been pushed off-center when she hit the road, she had trouble eating. Laurie spoon- fed her through her first 48 hours. But that little kitten was determined to live.

Velcro After

Gradually, the kitten grew stronger, loving every new thing she discovered in her foster home. As Laurie describes it: “This is a very loving, sweet, and well-adjusted kitten who loves to cuddle, which is why we named her Velcro. She is a nonstop purr box. When you aren’t holding her, Velcro is playing with her toys. She loves all toys, from rolled up balls of paper to store-bought toy mice. At night, she alternates between sleeping on my bed and my kids’ beds. The first thing you see in the morning is her loving face. Because of the way her nose was bent, it’s almost looks as if she’s smiling. She deserves a family that will give her the unconditional love that she will give them.”

Right before Christmas, Velcro went to her new home. She is doing well and has fit in as part of the family!



Indy

Save-A-Pet’s volunteers sometimes find that what starts out as caring for one pet can bring unexpected challenges and “more-than-we-bargained for” surprises. Susan Williams, Save-A-Pet’s Dog Officer, tells us about Indy:

“Indy came to me in mid June as a surrender. She was a 2 ½ year old shepherd/husky mix who arrived with hair missing around her neck, a sure sign of long periods of being tethered outside. She was skinny and plagued with diarrhea, which on analysis, contained whipworms — one of the nastiest intestinal parasites to deal with. In spite of all this, Indy was gentle and very affectionate. When I took her to the vet’s for her first appointment, the staff agreed that she was one of the nicest dogs that I had fostered in a long time. They were therefore saddened to tell me that her heartworm test was positive. This meant a long, dangerous, and expensive treatment requiring hospitalization and them extreme quiet for one month.

“Indy was a wonderfully cooperative patient, and at her one month follow up treatment I commented that she had put on a lot of weight and I worried that she might be pregnant. Indeed my fears were confirmed. We contacted the pharmaceutical company that had manufactured the heartworm drug, and they did not know the consequences of treating a pregnant dog and didn’t seem to care. And how would the mother’s heartworm affect the puppies or her ability to whelp them?

The gestation period for a dog is only 63 days and since she had to have been pregnant when she arrived, I did not have long to agonize over the situation. On August 7 she gave birth to seven beautiful and healthy puppies. She was an excellent mom, and they thrived. All of the puppies found great homes, and Indy proudly said good bye to each one.

When her final heartworm test came back negative it was time for Indy to find her own forever home. By then I had had her for three months and loved her dearly so I was thrilled when she was adopted by a wonderful couple. She now has a dog’s dream life– constant companionship, lots of love, a big fenced play yard and her very own loveseat on which to sleep. If any dog deserved a happy ending, Indy did.”

Indy's Pups