Volunteers from Sarge's were visiting the county shelter looking for potential foster dogs, when one of them spotted a little puppy, obviously very happy and playful, in spite of having a very crooked leg and limping badly. Sure, there were other puppies in the run, happy, playful and not limping, but something about Cassidy, as he came to be known, really grabbed their attention. The volunteers picked up the little dog, he licked their faces, snuggled his little face in their necks, and appeared to be so grateful to be noticed and singled out. Cassidy (named after Hop-Along) went to the vet that very afternoon and had his leg x-rayed. The verdict was that his leg had been broken weeks before, and had started to heal; it would take very complicated surgery to straighten out. But Cassidy seemed to get around just fine, and didn't appear to be in any pain, so Dr. Brummitt at Canton Animal Hospital advised watching him for any sign of difficulty or pain, and perhaps the surgery would not be needed.
A week or so later, after Cassidy was safely in one of Sarge's foster homes, he suddenly refused to eat. This was a red flag, well known to Sarge foster homes, signaling the onset of parvo. Parvo can be a deadly virus to young puppies, but caught early with treatment started promptly, it does not have to be terminal. Cassidy was rushed to the vet, and sure enough tested positive for Parvo, and admitted. His treatment of IV fluids, anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea medications were started and three days later he returned to his foster home completely recovered. He needed to stay in quarantine for at least three weeks though, because the virus could still be transmitted for some time after his apparent recovery. He lived in an ex-pen in the finished basement of his foster home, away from any other dogs, and played by himself with his toys, ate his meals, and slept most of his days away, waiting for the happy day he could go outside and play with all the other dogs he could hear upstairs.
Finally the day came when Cassidy was allowed outside, and his foster mom was amazed to see how well he was walking, or rather, running around the yard. There was no sign of his limp, and his crippled leg now appeared to be perfectly normal! The Sarge volunteers soon realized that Cassidy's Parvo had in fact been a blessing in disguise, because his confinement had given the leg a chance to heal properly.
One day Cassidy went to an adoption day at the WNC Visitor's Center. Another foster dog, Lucia, was stealing all the attention, having been on TV and in the paper that week. She had several people coming to meet her in person, and no one noticed Cassidy. That is, until Connie Corbett came in. True, she had come to meet Lucia, but when one of the volunteers introduced her to Cassidy, it was practically love at first sight. They went outside together, she heard his story, and things were arranged to expedite the adopton so she could take him home that afternoon.
Connie called Cassidy's foster mom a few days later to say he was doing wonderfully, had settled right in to her household, and they loved each other very much. Quite a turn of events for a little pup who landed in the county pound, crippled, lost and alone. Now Cassidy has a wonderful family to love, and the chance for the life he deserves.
...Nancy Bulluck, Foster Care Committee
|
