Her name is Rosie.  She wonders how she ended up there….all alone….without the people she loved.  She doesn’t know why she is laying on cold concrete, behind a chain link gate, instead of on her soft, warm bed at home.  In her short year of life, she had enjoyed playing in the sunbeams and chasing butterflies but now she doesn’t feel very good.  Her lungs feel congested and breathing is getting harder by the day.  Food doesn’t sound good and getting up to eat it takes too much energy.  Besides, it was fun to eat when her people were in the kitchen with her but now she eats alone, separated from the dog next door by a concrete wall.  Why bother? she asks.  She begins to shiver but it isn’t cold outside.  She can’t stay warm anymore and her ribs are showing.  Her breathing is labored, shallow, and rapid.  Her warm, chocolate brown eyes are getting heavy.    Who is scooping me up with my blanket and carrying me to a car?  Where am I going?

She used to have a name but when she was found, there was no tag.  No one came to claim the beautiful 2 year old German Shepherd so she became ID tag# A185476.  Many days have passed and she still hasn’t seen a familiar face.  She is tired and it is hard to keep her eyes open. “I don’t feel very good”, she thinks. Breathing is a challenge and this cough won’t go away.  She wants to sleep but all the dogs around her keep barking.  She is so tired and she wishes she had a warm bed to curl up in.  Who are these people putting a leash on me?  Is this sunshine?  I am not used to this car.  How did I get in here?  It is all happening so fast.  And they keep looking at me and saying “Rumor”.  Is that my new name?

I felt good when those strangers stood looking at me through the chain link gate.  I tried to smile at them as I missed being with people.  Could they tell I was trying to tell them I miss my family?  With my tail wagging, I lowered my head as they reached towards me.  They started to stroke my head and I felt a leash go around my neck.  Next thing I knew, I was at a kennel with some other dogs I recognized from the place I just left.  A warm soft bed, food, water, and kind words, these things are appreciated but I am having trouble enjoying them as I really don’t feel well. It has been several days and now I am having trouble breathing and food is the last thing I want to see.  All I want is to feel better and curl up at my loved one’s feet as they sip a cup of coffee.  That is what I used to do.  Instead I am sitting in a kennel that says “Cassie” at the veterinary hospital, hooked up to some kind of pump that beeps.  I hope this is going to help as each day is getting harder. It will help, right?

It takes a village… and a lot of big hearts

These are just three of the nine dogs that Last Chance at Life has taken in over the past couple of weeks.  Joey, Frankie, Jenny, Tyler, Jacob and Elmo are the others. Each of these has a story to tell, just like Rosie, Rumor and Cassie.  In bringing in each of these lives, we made a commitment to care and provide for them until we can find each of them a wonderful, loving forever home.  In some cases, that process is rather easy and in other cases, there are some bumps along the way. We have had a lot of bumps this time which is why we are reaching out.

When we chose this amazing group of dogs, we knew some of them were sick. We knew Rosie wasn’t eating and Rumor was having problems breathing.  We thought we might have another one or two get sick, but that wasn’t going to keep us from trying to save them.  After all, we are Last Chance at Life Rescue.  These VERY dogs are our mission. What happened next though was unexpected.  We thought we would be able to handle most of their care as outpatients but instead, several of them have required extensive hospitalization.  Two of them remain hospitalized as this letter is being written.

While it is hard for us to do this, we need to ask for your help.  The medical costs have risen quickly and are reaching into the thousands of dollars as we have worked to care for these sweet dogs.  We have tried to make good decisions about which tests to run and which treatments to provide, but it still adds up.  Your generous support in the past has helped pull us through and we are hoping we can count on the LCAL community and their network to help us pay for the veterinary care provided to Rosie and the rest of the “pack”.

None of us volunteer to help in the world of dog rescue because we like to ask for money or fund raise.  We do it because we love dogs.  We love everything about them – their intelligence, their creativity, their spontaneity, their ability to live in the moment, and their unconditional love. You love those things too! So please, help us help them. 

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