Rescue Rebel: A Starved Dog's Second Chance

Meet Rebel!

Rebel came to us two days ago (04/14) in a really rough spot, and we are temporarily fostering him while we try to connect with nearby rescues in the NJ area and/or find him a good permanent home.

Rebel's Story

Rebel was left in a basement and abandoned there after his previous owner went to jail. He let his son know the dog was in the house over this past weekend, two months after he was arrested and jailed. So, he has been in that basement starving for two months. He apparently received occasional food from squatters now residing in that home but he has clearly lost more than he's retained. It was just an overall terrible situation for this poor baby.

The previous owner's son has been living next door to us with his grandparents and has seen our three dogs and how we care for them, so when he found Rebel, he immediately came to us for help. We couldn't say no. He surrendered him to us, and we have been working around the clock on getting his health stabilized.

His first night with us was rough. He had no energy, he was so weak he was unable to walk up stairs. I think his feet were also hurting him because of how overgrown his nails were. We could not get a vet appointment that same day through our regular vet. We found luck through Banfield in PetSmart for a next-day appointment.

His initial vet visit was very promising despite his condition. His kidneys are elevated due to extreme dehydration but we were reassured this is reversible and not permanent damage. His other organs are thankfully okay despite how emaciated he is. We were provided a prescription food to start getting fat and muscle back on his bones. The vet said we probably got to him just in time before serious complications started.

About Rebel

Rebel is around one year old; either right under or right over. He still has that goofy floppy puppy energy and spirit... and manners haha.

Rebel is great with people, such a love bug. He gives so many slobbery wet kisses! We can see his spirit is willing to play, but the need to find food greatly outweighs it, and he will quickly lose interest and start looking for food. We are hoping to see his interest in toys and playing start to blossom once he gains some more weight and starts learning food is now a guarantee.

He appears to have a good temperament with other dogs. We've had him in and out of PetSmart and the vet, and he shows mild interest. He watches but doesn't react and will follow our lead if we move away or in another direction. He seems interested but doesn't bark, growl or pull towards the other dog. Rebel is not well enough to have any true play or meet and greets yet. We do not know how he is with cats or children he is unfamiliar with. He seems okay with kids from our brief witnessed interactions so we're optimistic.

After one day of good food and rest, we already see an overall increase in his energy levels. He is now able to climb stairs without assistance, crawl up onto the couch, and he does these little hops when he is excited and wants to jump up on something/someone.

He is a bit rude and definitely needs some work on his manners. We have started slowly, very slowly, integrating this into his routine. His mouth has its own brain at the moment, so he will nip fingers when being given a treat. We believe with training and consistency, this is something that can be worked out of him. He's just so hungry, so we don't hold it against him if he accidentally gets our fingertip instead of the treat. He also loves the crate and has not lost any potty training he may have had previous to coming to us!

Our Goals

We plan to foster/board him until at the very least he is able to go into another foster home. While he may be a sweetie so far with other dogs, our existing pack are not very dog friendly. Specifically, our one dog is not new-dog friendly, and we do not want to traumatize him when it comes to other animals by risking a fight or bite. We want the overall best prognosis for him, and that may mean he needs a better-suited foster family or permanent family (most ideal!).

We plan to have him for at the very least the next month while he recovers and gains some weight. We are currently in talks with a few rescues and rescuers in the NJ state trying to work out a solution with them. If we need to foster longer, we can, with support. It just wouldn't be ideal for him long term as he needs socialization to truly have a chance to thrive. We also don't really have the funds to maintain fostering him. We need help.

What this GoFundMe is for:

We are not currently sponsored by anyone, so we are fronting all of Rebel's costs and expenses. And as he is going to be in need of considerate vet care for his condition, we are looking to hopefully find that here until we can get set up with a foster, and either they help us with his expenses or they find a new foster that they know, trust, and will be a great fit for him. The GoFundMe will end at that point.

For now, we have the goal set at $2000 as a starting goal. What we expect his care to cost over the next few weeks but this may increase the longer we need to foster. Between his initial vet visit and necessities like food, crate, etc. we're already nearing a total cost of $1000. Once he's stabilized, he will need to be neutered, get all his shots, and we will need to take care of an ear infection. Donations will be crucial for us until we find other support through a foster or find Rebel his forever home.

We plan to keep everyone consistently updated on his prognosis. We will share pics weekly to hopefully capture his weight progress. We will share updates on his vet care, costs, etc. in updates. His current expenses will be shared separate as a first update. But, most importantly, we want to keep everyone updated on how he's doing, new things he learns, milestones, etc.

Our ideal final goal/update that I'd want to see is us sharing either an adoption pic or adoption story; aka Rebel's happy ending. :)

Who are we?

We are Amanda and Evan, two ordinary people who love animals. We want to help when and where we can, however that looks. We have three dogs of our own: Rebar (a GSD/Lab mix), Pandora (a Pitty/Lab mix), and Gizmo (a mini Aussie).

Thank you for taking the time to read Rebel's story. If you're unable to donate we would be so appreciative if you could share this on your socials or pass along to friends/family to spread the word.