Animal Allies Humane Society

GUS AND PRECIOUS STORY

Every animal deserves a chance. A special Healing Hearts & Paws Fund was created just for you and supporters like you who believe in providing additional medical care to homeless pets with serious medical needs. Animal Allies has recently been presented with not one, but two severe medical cases that are in major need of your help to survive




Gus and Precious both came barreling through our doors with huge personalities! Gus is a 1-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier with one of the best smiles we’ve ever seen. Precious is a 2-year old-American Staffordshire Terrier who has a funny fascination with sniffing everyone's winter boots. She is also deaf, which leads to loads of loud, loving howls. Both pups love meeting new people, playing with other dogs and carrying around fluffy toys. 

When shelter medical staff performed the intake exam on Gus and Precious, they quickly noted something off about their heartbeats. Consultation with a specialized veterinary cardiologist in the Twin Cities confirmed the bad news: both dogs had heart murmurs.



Gus’s heart murmur is caused by  the narrowing of a blood vessel and thickening of a heart wall. Meanwhile, an echocardiogram of Precious revealed multiple cardiac defects: narrowing of  blood vessels, valve abnormality, and a small hole within the heart wall. Ultimately this has caused the blood to flow through Precious's heart in an abnormal direction, which means she could lose good oxygen-carrying capacity at any time. The cardiologist recommended both dogs receive heart surgery at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. 



After careful deliberation by the Animal Allies leadership team, the decision was made to go ahead and save their lives. Both of these bouncy young dogs have their whole lives ahead of them. They live to please people, and would thrive in a loving home. Without surgery, Gus and Precious are not expected to live very long. You can give them the chance to have a full and happy life by making your gift into the Healing Hearts & Paws Fund. The estimated cost for both of them to have surgery is $8,000. You can make a gift that along with many others adds up to save Precious and Gus. 

The transformations that occur because of the Healing Hearts & Paws Fund only happen because you believe in rescuing every life. Although their surgeries will cost approximately $8,000, our goal for the fund in 2021 is $45,000 because we know Gus and Precious will not be the last animals in need of your love and support.


Donate today to give these wonderful dogs, and others like them, have a second chance at a new life! Thank you for your unwavering love for homeless pets!

Hoarding discovery prompts immediate rescue response.

Animal Allies needs your help NOW to provide care for 24 Basenji mixes from a hoarding situation in our service area. 

As you might expect, some dogs are in better mental and physical health than others. We discovered 6 of these special dogs will require significant medical treatment beyond what we are able to provide at the shelter. We were fortunate to find placement for all of them with rescue groups who specialize in the type of care they need. 


Our amazing medical team is working hard to assess the needs of the remaining 18 dogs. Some of the dogs need hernia surgery, most need dental procedures. All will be given complete medical exams, vaccinations and be spayed or neutered. 

These dogs have come from a challenging situation. All 24 dogs lived together with limited human contact. While at Animal Allies, each dog will require its own individual care plan. As you might imagine, much like humans, some have adjusted to their new clean kennel environment better than others. A few of the dogs will be ready for adoption shortly and some will be with us for an extended amount of time. 


 These dogs have likely never lived in a traditional home environment. They are not potty trained, they have not walked on a leash, some of them are even fearful of people. All of the dogs are going to require work, patience and special training on the part of the adopters. Our kennel and adoption teams will be working with each dog and adopter to help them transition into a home.

Animal Allies Humane Society needs your support at this time. Taking in a large group of special needs dogs like this is a huge strain on our shelter resources. The adoption fees we charge will  cover only a fraction of the real cost of caring for these dogs. We estimate the cost will be  between $350.00 and $1500.00 per dog depending on the medical/surgical needs and the individual treatment plan required for each dog.


All funds raised with this Healing Hearts and Paws campaign will go directly to the care of these wonderful dogs.

 We have a fundraising goal of $10,000.00. We know that is a lot to ask for, we understand this is a difficult time for everyone. Any amount you can give will help immensely. We are confident that with your help we can accomplish this goal.

Please share this message with all your friends near and far to help us meet our goal!

Only two minutes to live…

A Healing Hearts & Paws Fund Story - Doc is spared in the nick of time.

Animal Allies Humane Society and Rockwall Pets (TX) are working together to save the lives of shelter pets.

Sometimes, this life-saving work requires making fast decisions.

Meet Doc. Doc is a young, sweet boy with a lovable, smoosh-able face and a huge smile. All Doc wants is to love and to be loved. Doc also happens to have two torn CCL ligaments. (Like an ACL tear in human knees.) In an overcrowded southern shelter with strained resources and lack of available homes, dogs like Doc never get second chances.


Doc was on ‘the list’ for the day in one such shelter. When Animal Allies Adoption Program Manager, Keri Heise, received the phone call, she had to act fast: “We have a kennel for Doc.” Had Animal Allies said no, it would have been the final straw for Doc. He was just two minutes from his final trip down the hall and over the Rainbow Bridge…. Our friends at rescue group, Rockwall Pets, were thrilled. Animal Allies could take him- they said, “Yes!!”

Thanks to local community support for the Healing Hearts and Paws Fund, Animal Allies Humane Society can say “Yes.” to helping pets like Doc. Whenever we have available kennel space, Animal Allies works closely with our trusted rescue partners to transfer lovable pets like Doc from overcrowded shelters. Like so many shelter pets who suffer from treatable injuries, illnesses, and on-going medical needs, Doc deserved a second chance. Without the Healing Hearts and Paws Fund, a dog with a broken leg or a cat suffering from thyroid disease or diabetes could lose their chance at finding a family due to lack of resources. The HHP fund offers these loving pets the second chance that they deserve.



Your Contribution to Animal Allies Humane Society's Healing Hearts and Paws Fund helps lovable homeless pets recover from treatable medical conditions. Donations to the Healing Hearts and Paws Fund provide a second chance at life for a loving pet who just needs an extra helping paw - ahem - helping hand.

 

The Healing Hearts and Paws Fund was established to provide veterinary care for shelter pets with special medical needs.




About Doc's medical conditions:

From the doctor-
Doc has entropion - a condition causing the eyelids to roll in and contact the cornea (surface of the eye). It results in chronic irritation, pain and ulceration. He will have both eyes repaired.

He also has cranial cruciate diease (aka ACL tear) with osteoarthritis (commonly simply called arthritis). The knee will be repaired with metal implants to provide stability and improve his mobility long term.

Even with our available contacts and resources, Doc's medical care is expected to cost over $2200.  

Doc is a young, lovable dog who, with the right treatment and care, will live a happy healthy life.

Thank you for any contribution you can make - every dollar matters for Doc!