We first posted this 365 days ago. February 6, 2024. That was the day we rescued Prickly Pete. 🌵
His rescue, to this day, was one of the most challenging we have ever been a part of— starting with his actual physical rescue, which consisted of almost a full day of dog wrangling, during what I’ve known to be San Diego’s first and only tornado warning. 😳 It took a godforsaken cactus-filled canyon, shoe casualties, many "oh sh*t" moments, literal blood, sweat and tears (mostly from cacti needles), and ended with a dead van battery, but we got the dog.
And once we got him, things didn’t get easier. They actually got harder, because one tiny little detail that many don’t realize is that once you get the dog, all the real work begins. Especially if they’re prickly, like Peter.
The videos here don't show it, but Pete was not a nice guy when we met him. We respected him and he eventually knew that as much as he wanted to hate us, he wanted to be helped even more.
We had to sedate him to pull hundreds of cacti spikes out of his body on that very first day, and as he became physically less prickly, his personality did too.
It’s been 365 days of TAP love, and we are excited to update you on Peter’s progress. We know he stole a lot of hearts over the past year.
Stay tuned later today for an update post. You won’t want to miss this one. 💚
Sweet baby Roy. He’s healing, slowly but surely, every day that he remains in hospital. It’s been 6 days now, and he’s just getting stronger and more spirited with each passing one. The burns on his body are looking obviously better and his vets are really, really happy with how things are going. ❤️🩹
2 positive updates to specifically call out-
1. Roy is doing so well that he got to unhook from his IVs and all the machinery to take a field trip outside to get some fresh air. His Dr. took him out herself and said he absolutely loved it. 🥹
And 2. Roy has started eating on his own!! This is probably the most exciting news, because it means he can start to transition to oral medications so he can leave the hospital hopefully very soon and continue healing in a foster home. 🤞
More updates to come! But this strong boy is surviving. Thank you for helping us make it all possible for him. 💚
He survived a house fire that caused severe burns to his body, face, nose, and paw pads. He was then taken to the shelter by his former owners and found himself on the euthanasia list, in this condition. Our DMs were full with pleas for him, but we only had to see his poor face once and we were in the shelter’s emails. He needed immediate and 24hr hospitalization and we knew time was of the essence.
Please welcome Roy to The Animal Pad. He’s been hospitalized since we pulled him from the shelter on Wednesday. He’s having his bandages changed daily. He’s being fed via NG tube because he was in too much pain and discomfort to eat on his own. He’s undergoing a procedure that is debriding and cleaning his wounds right now, as I type. His surgeons and emergency care doctors have all agreed that his prognosis is good, but he has a long road of recovery ahead of him. We’ll be there every step of the way, and would so appreciate any help you might be able to give, too. His hospitalization bill is $5k and growing. I will put the estimates in our stories, and any donations can be made via the link in our bio, or other ways below.
Another thing the doctors all agree on? Roy is an angel and deserves all of the care he is getting. We are committed to him, and he will continue to get it until he’s well enough to head to a foster home. 💚
If you are in any position to support, even $5 on this Friday—
theanimalpad.org/donate
Venmo: @theanimalpad
PayPal: [email protected]
Zelle: [email protected]
We can’t stop thinking about our friends and fellow rescues in LA. Feeling helpless being so close but still far, and not wanting to add to the chaos with our typical boots on the ground style of rescuing, we did what we knew we could. We reached out to @pasadenahumane and asked if we could take in dogs that had been sitting on their adoption floor awaiting homes, to free up space for them to take in the animals that are victims of the Eaton Fire, that is currently 3% contained and has burned more than 13,000 acres.
When we reached out to offer our help, we heard that our local @sdhumanesociety, along with 3 other large California animal welfare orgs, already had plans to remove every last adoptable dog from Pasadena. Since some of these dogs were already coming to San Diego, it was a no brainer to take them in, now to free up space at our local humane society, who will need to go back for more if these fires don’t let up.
San Diego Humane Society took 11 dogs to their Oceanside Campus, which were being housed in the overflow shelter space that you see in this video. We met the dogs, took video, shared, and were able to pull 7 of those 11 from Pasadena just last night, with more to come. We were able to do that because so many of you here in San Diego, also looking for ways to help, have agreed to take in a foster dog. We have been moved in ways we didn’t even know possible by the efforts of San Diegans, showing up for the people of LA and their animals.
Pasadena Humane has been able to take in over 400 lost, injured, and displaced animals— that they now have the space to help heal and rehabilitate.
If you are looking for ways to help @pasadenahumane directly, please visit their page and read their updates.
We are heading back to SDHS today to pull more dogs. If you are in San Diego, we still need your help. By fostering a dog, you will be opening up a spot for another dog in need and continuing the cycle of helping where it’s most crucial right now.
All Breed / All Need Rescue in San Diego. Lots of dogs, and the occasional cat. 🐾
