Adoptions, not to mention visitors are pretty thin on the ground right now. It is a funny time of year, both in terms of planning for holidays and in terms of weather. Looking outside you could imagine that it is a warm spring day, but the icy wind reminds us that winter isn’t over yet. Brrr!
We had one arrival today; that of a lovely jack russell. When I saw him I immediately went through my internal filing system. Most of us have a mental list of people who are looking for dogs of certain breeds, just in case! But in fact this young lad’s owners had already contacted the SPA to ask if their dog had been brought in.
Of course he had to be identified before leaving, and I wondered yet again why people would play Russian roulette with a dog that they love. Why leave finding your dog to chance? Especially when it concerns a breed that is often the victim of dog theft. Maybe it takes the shock of nearly losing a dog to make people actually step up and pay the relatively small amount to abide by the law and identify their animal.
Other than that the SPA was quiet. The main news of the day was the operation carried out on Caramel. This poor dog, who is not even one year old, has had the top of his femur removed. He arrived with a limp four weeks ago and although he was identified, his owners did not come to collect him. Could this be because he needed expensive medical care? We will probably never know. Caramel now has a minimum of two weeks in the infirmary, during which time his leg will need to be gently manipulated. After this time he will need regular walks to make sure he makes a full recovery.
Being such a young dog, Caramel has a good prognosis. And he is a lovely dog, so of course he will be able to find a home (luckily he is not black). But if you ever wonder why the SPA is grateful for every penny it receives, it is to help dogs like Caramel!
Let’s all wish him a full and speedy recovery and hope that he finds a home very soon! Daily exercise is much easier in a loving home, not when there are 100 other dogs who need walking!
Arrived and left with a brand new micro-chip
Caramel – Get well soon
Here is an X-Ray of his leg, with the top of the right femur removed