Raya's Story
Early one morning in April 2021, a staff member arrived at the shelter to begin caring for the dogs. What she found was a young female, emaciated German Shepherd locked in one of our outdoor play pens along with her five, 8-week old puppies, and a note from a “good Samaritan” that said they had found Raya living behind a dumpster at an apartment complex and struggling to find food, so they decided to crawl over our 6’ fence in the dead of night to place her and her puppies in a run in hopes we could help her. That was our introduction to the beautiful and playful Raya.
Quickly working with a couple of volunteers that morning, we Parvo tested the puppies and were thankful that they were negative. While our Foster Coordinator began making calls to help care for the puppies since the shelter did not have any room, we were on the phone with one of our vet partners to get Raya and her litter checked out to ensure they were healthy. We learned that the puppies were all doing very well but Raya was not. It was determined that Raya was only around 8-months old (a puppy herself) and, after further medical evaluation, she was diagnosed with a heart condition that actually required specialized care from a cardiovascular veterinarian. The cardio vet advised that she would need heart surgery and that it would cost around $10,000. Doing what we do, we took her needs and our plea to our supporters and raised the funds to provide Raya with this life-saving surgery.
While the immediate danger to Raya had been minimized, she will always have a heart condition. However, she has been living with a medical foster and is a fun and energetic girl who loves to play with her toys, dog puzzles and interact with people. Raya continues to be available for adoption. Even though she does require one daily medication, she lives a pretty awesome life with her medical foster and is doing great.
Though we cannot save every animal that needs help, we do ensure that each cat or dog that comes through the doors of our shelter are given the personalized care that they need. Raya is an example of why we budget a portion of our donations to Special Needs. We will not deny an animal medical treatment if it will improve and save their life. It’s how we are able to make a difference in that animal’s life.
If you would like to make a difference, please consider donating to our Special Needs fund, sign-up to be a foster, or apply to become a volunteer. Better yet, come visit and possibly find your next Furry Family member at our shelter!
We appreciate your support!
