What would we do without great rescues? The Humane Society of Orange County reached out to local Shetland Sheepdog rescues to help with a hoarding case. The owner lost her home and 15 shelties were turned in. Without hesitation Northern Virginia, Northern Chesapeake, and Collie and Sheltie Rescue of Southeast Virginia were there to step in. These dogs were neglected and bred irresponsibly.
That picture above is of one of the dogs taken in by the group I foster for, Collie and Sheltie. Six volunteers "spent four hours nonstop shampooing, clipping, and picking hundreds of ticks off their little bodies." And they went through the process again the next day. Here's the bathtastic photo gallery link. One dog had to have a patch shaved down to get at a nest of ticks. But as always, you should never underestimate the resiliency of a good dog. All three poochies were amazing.
I happened to be out of town this weekend, but was able to help two of the dogs get some much needed medical attention today. Teddy had the worst of the tick infestation and was a bit overweight. Meghan seemed to fair better with the bugs but her nails were so over grown she couldn't walk straight. Great news is they seem to be pretty healthy, that aside. Some blood work, shots, nail trims, fecal came to almost $450. The third sheltie, Kyle goes in Thursday for his first visit. Then it's spay and neuter surgeries, dental work, more shots and blood tests, prescriptions, heartworm and flea preventative... These three dogs will end up with thousands in medical bills.
Thankfully these babies are on the road to recovery. When Kyle gets his vetting done, he's going to come stay here at Relay's House and Teddy and Meghan will find their own temporary home to care for them. I know I often hear about animal hoarding in the news, but I suppose I never really thought of what comes after the dogs are saved. Now, I'm going to get a front row seat and I must admit to being a little intimidated. I'll start with some love and go from there.
If you are able and would like to help, all three rescues are not for profit charities. Every little bit counts. Thank you.
