Itās time you meet our CorazĆ³n, or Cora for short. Our team has been caring for her behind the scenes for the past few weeks. She has TVT (transmissible venereal tumors) which is a very contagious but very treatable form of cancer that we know well here.
Yes, she looks insane. Her face is 4x the size it should be and she breathes like Darth Vader. But no, we arenāt delusional. We will heal her, just like we have the 20+ dogs we have cured of TVT this year alone. We will never be a rescue who canāt see beyond what is in front of us. We see a future for any and all dogs in a variety of conditions, as long as they have the will to live. Thatās what makes us, as a rescue, special ā and thatās what gives us the privilege of knowing the most special dogs, like this one.
Call me desensitized, but the first thing I saw wasnāt her massive snoot or the tumors erupting through her skin. It was the perfect heart on the top of her head. Thatās how she got her name.
Cora has had 2 chemotherapy treatments with us so far and will need a whole bunch more and then follow-up work, depending on what damage this tumor leaves behind to her palate. It may not make sense to some why we fight so hard for dogs like her- but, as I mentioned before, sheās got heart. A lot of it. Right down to the one on the top of her head. ā¤ļø
Give her a few weeks and youāll see. Immense gratitude to At-Choo Foundation for getting her safe, off the streets of Tijuana, and allowing us the honor to partner to save her life. And the biggest THANK YOU to 15/10 Foundation for seeing past her physical, straight into her heart, and being a quick yes to fully fund ALL of her treatment costs.
Please help us in welcoming Cora, as we help her beat cancer and become the dog she was meant to be. Youāll be seeing a lot of her, even though you might not recognize her soon
The tuck in at the end. š„¹
An update on the extremely emaciated mama and pups from the recent neglect case out of Ensenada, in partnership with @losadoptablesorg. We first shared them on Friday with an urgent plea for a foster so we could hopefully get them across the border and here to safety in San Diego. I hit post, put my phone down for a few minutes to try to collect myself, and what I came back to... I donāt think Iāve ever had so many random texts and messages, all offering help. Temporary solutions, solutions that werenāt entirely feasible but still very sweet, solutions that would totally inconvenience the people who were offering them, but they offered anyway - because they wanted to see this family safe. We havenāt seen this side of humanity all that often lately and, honestly, it gave me hope. It reminded me how many good people we, and the dogs we rescue, have in our corner. It was very cool. So, to every one of you who sent an offer of some sort and wanted the best for this family- thank you so much. It meant more than you know.
Mama and babies did end up landing with the best- A longtime foster and volunteer of TAP, @kara_curran, who immediately jumped into mama mode herself with how to help the family.
They saw our vet yesterday. Babies got some fluids to help with dehydration and mama has been put on a strict eating regimen to slowly introduce the correct nutrients and calories into her body to avoid refeeding syndrome. Considering the conditions in which they came from and the condition of their bodies, we are happy to report that the vet thinks they can and will make full recoveries.
Mama is safe. She is loved. She has help for her babies. She doesnāt have to do it alone anymore. And she never will again. š
There are no words. Just when you think things canāt possibly get any more unbelievable in dog rescue, you are sent a video like this. This dog lives in Ensenada and was reported to the police as neglected and malnourished by a neighbor. When police and our friends at Los Adoptables A.C. showed up on the scene, they didnāt see her babies at first. They couldāve easily missed them in the chaos that was the yard she was living in, but then it got quiet for a momentā¦ and they heard the crying. 4 puppies were found living here in the yard, hidden by their starving mom in an attempt to keep them safe.
The āownerā of these dogs was taken to jail, which so rarely happens in Mexico. That speaks volumes. That is when you know itās worse than bad. The neighbor who made the report absolutely did the right thing for these dogs, but there is a cost. He is now moving homes, because he feels unsafe. Apparently the people who owned the dogs are connected to a lot of shady things happening in the area and are presumed dangerous. Having this mama and babies in the shelter in Ensenada is not only an unsafe option for this little family, but due to the circumstances, itās also unsafe for the shelter workers.
Mama and babies are in the car right now leaving the property and we are putting out a desperate plea for foster. If you are in the San Diego area and can open your heart and home to this poor family who desperately needs it, we will provide all supplies and cover all costs. We do need a commitment of at least 8 weeks, as that is how long moms and babies need to stay together before adoption.
If you were able to help, please head to theanimalpad.org/Foster and fill out an application. Time is of the essence here, so thank you for sharing their story, getting them seen, and helping us help them.
Ps. The shepherd looking guy in the back of the car came from the same situation and is safe for now but will be looking for help, too. Mama and babies are just far mor
Help us get October Adopted this October!
Today starts the month long quest to get the guy we found living under this tarp, 3 1/2 year ago, adopted. Itās October 1st, his name is October, and this is HIS month!October is The Animal Padās longest resident and has been in our rescueās care for 1335 days.Being that today is October 1st AND National Black Dog Day, there is no better day to share our guy, so we can finally help him find his forever people. Heās been craving this, and even though weāve loved him a long time, he deserves a home to call his own. Help us get October seen and out there all month, so he can be adopted in the next 31 days! A simple like, comment, or share might just do the trick. šš
