17/08/2022
This is as RAW as rescue gets. I'm writing this with tears streaming down my face. In fact I've rewritten this post 3 times.
In rescue its easy to only see the happy saves and the happy endings. Unfortunately, the emotional and heartbreaking part isn't always brought to light. Today, all our hearts shattered for one we couldn't save.
We got a call from a vet parter that an Amish breeder wanted to surrender a labradoodle puppy that wasn't doing well. Great, this is what we do and not out of our norm. We sent one of our amazing volunteers out who was directed to take the dog right to emergency to be checked. When they brought out the puppy our hearts sunk as we thought the puppy was dead, until she felt him breathing. He went limp in her arms.
Driving as quickly as possible to emergency, this sweet boy started seizing. He wasn't coming out of the seizure. They took him back immediately and it was obvious no life saving procedure could be done. We needed to give him his wings as he was too far gone and ultimately he was suffering. One of our wonderful board members was there holding him, crying with him and telling him how his life mattered and how sorry we were that he was failed.
This puppy had been sick all week according to the breeder. No one was called until today. This baby was kept in a hot barn barely grasping onto life in the heat this week and laying in the filth of a pen in his own excrement. Imagine being so sick you can't life your head in 100 degree heat on a hard floor with bugs swarming you. So sick you can't pull yourself away from soiling yourself. Dogs can't advocate for themselves. That is why we fight so hard to save them when we can. This puppy didn't ask to be born or to be denied treatment... but we couldn't just leave him there to suffer.
We named this sweet boy Jack. Jack mattered. Jack left this world knowing love even though the kindest thing we could do was let him go peacefully on a soft blanket with a loving embrace. This rips you apart at the core because he was neglected so long that no money could save him and no miracle procedure could save him.
When you buy dogs offline at greenfield puppies, lancaster puppies, puppyspot, puppyconnect, the list goes on, this is what you are funding. You are funding and enabling the cycle to continue. The parents we rescue are denied basic medical care like dentals and exercise by running in circles. They are fearful of touch. Even fearful of being loved.
There are many we save, but these are the ones that haunt us and keep us up at night.
Remember Jack. Jack mattered. We need to do better. This isn't ok. Breeding is supply and demand. Cut the demand of these dogs and breeding will decrease.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers that showed Jack love today and our emergency partner that gave him the gift of peace and ended his suffering.
Godspeed you sweet Jack over the rainbow bridge with our other friends we couldn't save
