Sally

Rescuer: Ashley Giammona at ashgiammona@gmail.com

Sally was surrendered to a rescue group after being used to produce multiple litters as a puppy mill dog. She was put into a foster care home with a family who were new to foster with them. A contract was drawn regarding care and costs and Sally went to the first home she has ever known.

She had spent her whole life in a barn, had never known love, a warm bed, affection, or any positive human interaction. She didn’t even have a name. After taking her in, she had her first bath. The water was brown because she had never had a bath in her life. She started to learn that she doesn’t need to cower when someone reaches to pet her, that she can walk into a different room without punishment. She went on what was probably her very first walk and loved it. In her first two weeks with her foster, her personality started to shine through, and she was improving every day.

Part of the fostering agreement with the rescue group was that all vet care would be paid for by rescue group, as long as she went to one of their approved vets. The fosters, being new to this, didn’t realize or question why she had not immediately been given a wellness check-up on intake with the rescue group. In the few days, Sally seemed to be having issues with being able to urinate and was continuously trying to, without much success. She also was very protective of one ear when the fosters tried to clean them. As per the agreement with the rescue group, they immediately contacted them to request a vet visit for her. The group didn’t bother to reply for 5 days and then said they couldn’t get her an appointment for several days. All this time Sally was suffering as she got worse. A day before the scheduled appointment, she got much worse and the fosters felt it was an emergency and told the rescue group so. They didn’t feel it was necessary and that if she was taken to an emergency vet, they would not cover the full costs. The foster family decided to just make an appointment with their own vet as it would be cheaper for them than the rescue group not covering most of the emergency vet. Sally was diagnosed with a severely inflamed bladder due to bladder stones. There is a chance she will need surgery, though it is likely the stones will dissolve in time with special food and some medication. She did have an ear infection and her teeth are so bad, the doctor was not able to use them to approximate her age. She will definitely need some dental work. The vet also discovered several C-section scars. Sally had known literally nothing but abuse her whole life. Her foster family could only afford to take care of the immediate issues due to cost. They fell in love with Sally and after all that she had been through, and the medical attention and care she still needs, they convinced the rescue group to sign her over to them. They just want to help to get her healthy so she can truly start her new life away from pain, loneliness, abuse, and fear with them.

This dog is not available for adoption.