In late October, we posted an urgent plea to save Mikey: "KENNEL 33,
OWNER SURRENDER, LAB/ SHEPHERD MALE, ABOUT 4 MONTHS OLD, 
NO ISSUES WITH OTHER DOGS, VERY SWEET PUP. OWNER SIMPLY DIDN'T WANT HIM".  Shortly after this was posted, Greg stepped up to foster Mikey with the hopes of adopting him.

We were so relieved that Greg stepped up because the vet arrived shortly after. He was either going to put dogs down or take them to be vetted for rescue. It was literally the nick of the time.

We were sad to learn that Mikey was very sick and was unable to travel to Washington, DC with Olivia the black lab puppy. He had a bad cough and would not do well on a transport with other dogs. Greg heard this news and immediately drove down to the vet in North Carolina so he could get Mikey treated so he could recover in a home.

We learned that Mikey had pneumonia! The poor fellow was abandoned at the shelter because his owner simply didn't want him and then he caught pneumonia.  Well, the day Greg stepped up to save Mikey is the day his luck turned around.  Mikey has recovered and Greg says he is adorable. They are working on house training now. 

Mikey's name and his past will be behind him and now Augie and Greg are will be together forever!

In the past year, City Dogs Rescue has saved at least 5 dogs from North Carolina who have buckshot or in Sawyer's case bullet fragments in their bodies. 

What is buckshot?
Buckshot is a form of ammunition that is used for big game like deer.  If anyone can tell us why a dog would be riddled with buckshot, we welcome the opportunity to learn why this seems to be an epidemic faced by shelter dogs.

It is always deeply upsetting when we learn that one of our rescue dogs has been shot.  For example, Mystic (formerly Marble) had at least 6 pellets in her body.  Earlier this year, Brody was brought to the shelter with an embedded collar and wounds from buckshot.  Another alumni, Sawyer had severe complications with his ankle as a result of being shot with a .22 caliber. Hayden was rescued in February and also had buckshot.

Today, we learned that one of our foster dogs Moby (formerly known as Carson from Bladen County) has been shot at 20 times! In the case of Moby and Mystic, they were fortunate enough to not require surgery for removal.  These dogs are the only ones where we knew they had been shot.  Unfortunately, it is probably more common than we know.

Please spread the word that it is not okay to shoot a dog. It is sad to know that the scars of being shot will always be able to felt in these dogs.  Hayden, Mystic, Brody, and Sawyer all found their forever homes. Moby is still available for adoption!

Last night, Chance, our 13 year old rescue dog passed away.  After arriving to Washington, DC, he deteriorated quickly and we learned he had a brain tumor that was causing him to suffer.

As an owner surrender at a rural shelter in North Carolina, he was going to die alone and feeling abandoned. With the help of City Dogs Rescue supporters, especially the Forte family who opened their home to Chance, his final days were full of love, good food, and a dignified death surrounded by caring people.

For all the young healthy dogs we have saved, we feel this act of kindness is as important and in some ways more.  We feel that saving dogs like Chance is an important part of our mission.

We are saddened by the death of Chance but we hope his memory serves as a reminder that senior dogs are abandoned every day at shelters and left to die. We hope that by saving Chance that rescues across the nation will consider making a senior feel loved in their final days.

December 5, 2012 Update
This weekend Sheba's first foster Liz was reunited with her pal! Here's what she had to say: "We got to see Sheba on Sunday and she is thriving! Three months after she was adopted, she has grown up and filled out and is no longer a skinny puppy - she's a healthy lab! All done with heartworm treatment and happily settled into life with Fritz and Aran. She was very excited to see us and spent an hour showing off her ball skills in the backyard."

Kody was rescued from Bladen County, NC in June 2012. He was first fostered by Kathy and then by Laura. We were so happy to save him, but we were worried when he wasn't playing and running like a normal puppy. 

We learned some unfortunate news in August:  "First of all, Kody has severe hip dysplasia, left side being the worst. He will need to have complete hip replacement surgery in about 2-5 years. For the time being we get to let him live a normal, happy, fun filled life, just have to exercise a bit of caution with him in regards to jumping up on his hind legs, jumping onto high things (like the bed), jumping down from heights, etc. We will start to see his mobility and functionality degrade, to the point where he will be pretty much immobile and will need the surgery.

The other issue he has is on his pelvis, the right side Ilium is very separated compared to the left side. The vet said that it might grow into place over time, however if it continues to be separated, it will cause a lot of issues and pain for Kody down the line, only aggravating the hip dysplasia issue. An option is when we do the hip surgery, there can be a bolt inserted in the Ilium and screwed into the pelvis."

"He is a very brave little guy, the staff at the veterinary clinic were very complimentary of his behavior and said he was a pleasure to work with. The vet also stated that he has an excellent temperament and has developed a high tolerance to the pain that he is dealing with." 

Despite this news, Ryan and Sandy did not give up on him. They are committed to ensuring Kody lives a healthy and happy life.

Here's the November update from Ryan and Sandy:

"Kody is doing very well, we are so happy with him and love him very much. The cold weather is giving his back legs and hips a little trouble, he’s very stiff in the morning and does little hops sometimes, but as the day goes on he gets better and is careening around the house by lunch time.

We have not had any potty accidents in the house for months, I trained him to ring a bell by the door whenever he wants to be let outside. He is very smart, and sometimes he doesn't have to potty when he rings the bell, just wants to go on a walk!

"He is really filling out quite beautifully, his chest is widening out and we can no longer see his ribs! His coat is amazing, has such a great shine and luster to it. He’s also getting to be a bit of a tubby puppy! Our vet recommended we keep him on the leaner side to not aggravate his hip issues too much with a lot of added weight. Kody does however have a little bit of a pot belly now, it's very cute and we like to poke fun at him about it.

Everyone in our community adores Kody and they rush over to say Hi to him whenever they see us on our walks! He gets so many compliments and he just laps them all up! He is such a friendly puppy, he loves everybody and gets along with every dog we've met."

We are so happy to hear that Kody is doing well. He is so lucky to have Ryan and Sandy!