Special Needs Pets

All of the animals in the Animal Rescue and Foster Program came from less than perfect backgrounds. Some were orphaned when their mothers were hit by cars. Others were abandoned by owners who "couldn't take them" when they moved to a new home. Some were left homeless after the devastation of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. Chessie is one of those special pets who was given an extra hurdle to overcome in life. Her mother, pregnant with Chessie and her siblings at the time, was abandoned when her owners moved out of their apartment. Suddenly homeless, Chessie's mom gave birth to her kittens at the apartment complex, all of them living off scraps people tossed them. That's when things took a tragic turn for Chessie. At three and a half months old, she was sleeping in the engine compartment of a car when the car was started; one of her back feet was caught in the fan belt and mangled. Chessie lost two toes immediately. To make things worse, an infection set in, putting her in danger of losing her entire foot. Although her foot healed, Chessie had suffered a painful break in her leg, right below the head of the femur, that prevented her from using it. In August 2006, Chessie had femoral head ostomy surgery; the doctor hoped that by removing the femoral head, Chessie would regain full use of her leg without pain. Chessie came through the surgery like a trooper, hopping around the house on three legs just days after coming home. But by the end of September she still wasn't putting any weight on her injured leg. Her foster mom played with her daily, enticing Chessie with her favorite feather toy, but she showed no improvement. Follow-up doctor visits and x-rays in October and November revealed that Chessie had additional injuries to that leg -- injuries that caused too much pain for her to put weight on it. On November 30, 2006, Chessie's right rear leg was amputated. By December 6, the day after she came home from the hospital, she was jumping up on the back of the couch to get to her favorite nesting place. Her foster mom said she looked completely happy, peeking out from behind the Christmas tree. Through all of that, Chessie didn't once lose her sweet demeanor or cheerful attitude. Even when she was getting twice daily treatments on her foot, she purred the whole time. And although this sweet girl had never had a home or people to call her own, she still wanted to give love every time she was touched. Chessie is why the Animal Rescue & Foster Program (ARFP) is so wonderful. We are committed to every animal that is taken into our program. Because of ARFP, Chessie now has a wonderful life, full of sunny days and feather toys, with her adoptive family. If you would like to help ARFP continue to help special cases like Chessie, please consider making a donation. Chessie thanks the many of you that have already donated from the bottom of her heart! She is with us today because of you and ARFP! Make checks payable to ARFP and mail to: ARFP P.O. Box 77393 Greensboro, NC 27417 Or click the link below to make a donation online using PayPal:

AUBREY

Hi! I'm Aubrey! and I'm the sweetest pup you will ever meet! I'm a shy girl but I love people. I haven't been dealt the luckiest hand in life so far and I won't even be a year old until December 2007. First of all, I used to live with a nice family, but they traveled a bunch, and they didn't think I was getting all the love and attention that I deserved. So they asked the nice people at ARFP to take me back and help me find a new home. They were really sad to give me up. I miss them... I love to play fetch and romp around outside in the yard, but those days are limited. You see, I started favoring my rear end. It just gets wobbly if I overexert myself. I went to a nice lady doctor and had x-rays. Not now, but one day, I will have to have surgery on one of my hips. One is not quite in the socket like it should be, and the doctor used a lot of medical terminology that I was scared of. The part I heard that I liked was "no surgery now!" Some people say I'm special needs, but I hate that. I'm just as sweet as any other puppy and want to give just as much love as they give. I'm crate trained, house trained, and know how to sit on command and to go down. I like cats and other dogs. My hope is that someone with a quiet home will see me and want me for their own, forever and ever. I'm spayed, up to date on my shots, and on heartworm and flea preventative. Are you looking for a special girl?

This page last updated 12/27/2007