Sunday, October 2, 2011

Scamp's Rescue Story..................by Lisa of OBX Puparazzi

An acquaintance of ours had a lab mix dog that had a litter of puppies, and we got to take a peek at them while visiting.  At the time, the puppies were 2 weeks old, and one seemed to have some trouble with a hind leg.  I pointed it out to the owner, who assured me they would have the pup checked out.

When we stopped by a week later, I peeked in at the pups again.  The one with the injured hind leg was now just a fur covered skeleton, unable to compete with her siblings for food.  The owner told me that she was getting better and trying to put weight on her leg.  After a quick consult with my husband, we agreed to ask for her.  The owner, who apparently knew nothing about dogs, agreed to us taking the 3-week-old puppy.

Under any other circumstances, we would not have taken the pup away from her mother at such a young age, but we felt that at least we could take her to the vet and end her suffering.  The vet looked at her and told us that there was a good chance, since she was so young, that her leg would heal.  We eagerly agreed to the treatment plan, since it was so much better than what we had been expecting to hear.  The vet put a tiny cast on her leg, and we took the tiny handful home.  

She weighed 1.6 pounds, so she was just a handful.  Too tiny for a collar, we put a hair scrunchie around her neck.  We fed her frequent small meals, watching her blow up like a balloon when she ate, to return to skin and bones by the next meal.  She was a determined little pup, and she started growing again on a regular schedule of around-the-clock meals.  

She wasn’t allowed to put weight on that leg; so she spent most of her time being held or penned in a small laundry basket.  We carried her everywhere with us, and people absolutely adored her.  In total, because of her growing, she had 5 different casts in 6 weeks!

Baby Scamp

About the time she was finally freed from her final cast, we heard from a friend that her former owner couldn’t find a home for the last pup left and intended to abandon her along the highway, feeling that someone would pick her up.  We drove over to his place and told him that Scamp needed a playmate and we’d take her sister.  Dave named the sister Corky, after a dog from his childhood.

Corky was just what Scamp needed, encouraging her to run and exercise her newly healed leg.  Being Labrador mixes, they loved the pond in our yard, using the waterfall like their personal water slide.

While Scamp and Corky were not our first rescued dogs, they have formed the foundation of the current pack at our house, and they are very good at helping us rehabilitate other dogs we foster.

Scamp and Corky

Submitted by: Lisa of OBXPuparazzi, a delightful online boutique full of handmade items for dogs and the people who love them. Lisa is a volunteer with the Crafting for Animals Guild on ArtFire and is participating in the special coupon promotion to raise funds for the guild's spotlight charity, Close to Home Animal Rescue in honor of National Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month in October. Please check out Lisa's studio and read more about the promotion and get your coupon code HERE.

7 comments:

El at Tantalizing Stitches said...

OMG! I just love to see baby pics next to full grown pics. Scamp is so cute and I bet her reunion with her sister was like they never had separated.

Scotti Cohn said...

What a wonderful story -- but I'm sad that the other owner could be so clueless and unkind as to contemplate dumping Corky by the road. I just can't understand that attitude. Thank goodness you took both Scamp and Corky in. They're very lucky pups.

Debra at Sleepy Cat Designs said...

Very touching rescue story! And a hair scrunchie for a collar! Wow - so tiny and yet so determined to live. It's wonderful that these little pups had a chance after all to live a full life and give love and companionshp to you and your family.

Anonymous said...

LOVE this story, Lisa! You definitely saved those babies from very short, sorrow-filled lives! I agree with Scotti... how people can be so oblivious is beyond me. It's scary really.

Thanks for sharing this... what a great way to start a Sunday!

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Pam said...

What a wonderful story, and so amazing that your little dog has recovered. So happy he has a little playmate now. They are both adorable. Hope that your story encourages people looking for a dog to visit their nearest animal shelter.

Unknown said...

Beautiful story! I agree that it's a great way to start the week!

Creative Critters said...

Such a heartwarming story! You really are an angel Debra! You saved two wonderful dogs and continue to help other animals in need- that's just awesome! =)