- April 25, 2024
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by: Amy Wade-Carotenuto
Executive Director, Flagler Humane Society
Everyone loves a good "rags to riches" story. At Flagler Humane Society, we have bunches of them.
Russell was skin and bones the day we met. Although Dobermans are normally regal, strong, confident dogs, Russell had endured a life of neglect. He lived outside of an abandoned home, several dogs chained around him. He had neurological issues due to starvation. He had heartworm and intestinal parasites. His coat was dull, and his eyes were vacant.
Another dog from the same property was Tony, a small but mighty male Chihuahua that, despite a life of neglect, was very friendly — actually friendlier than most Chihuahuas that we see. When Tony was located, he was being kept in a cage in a tiny room of the abandoned house. In his cage was dry food spilled and mixed with feces. He had no water, no bedding. The floor of his cage was wire, which was surely uncomfortable, particularly because he was in the cage 24/7.
The tiny room that he was in had no ventilation — absolutely no fresh air from the outside. The smell of ammonia was overpowering. Our eyes burned and throats ached after just spending moments in the room where Tony had been for weeks or even months.
In cases like these, we have the legal right to rescue animals, pull them out of the dangerous environment and work to save their lives. Then it’s up to the courts to determine if the pet owner is fit to get their animal(s) back.
Our court system may take weeks or even months to determine custody. So as abuse victims are waiting, we often find them loving foster families to care for them.
In Russell’s case, he was lucky enough to make his way into the home and the hearts of two of our favorite volunteers, Tom and Adele.
Initially, they had to feed him three small meals a day with multiple trips to our veterinarian to monitor his progress.
Within weeks , Russell was a new man. The neurological problems completely subsided.
He is of a perfect weight and has the shiniest of shiny Doberman coats.
Tom and Adele did what many foster parents do: They fell in love. Russell was adopted as soon as the judge ordered that the animals not be returned to their abuser.
Tony was welcomed into the home of Lynn and her canine pack.
Tony made himself at home very quickly. Within the first month of adoption, Tony did what I haven’t been able to do for years: He went on vacation!
Tony and his new mom have a tiny camper, which is just Tony’s size. He loved the camping life.
Tony‘s first vacation was to the Suwannee River State Park, where he made lots of friends and enjoyed the fresh air. Boy, did he appreciate that fresh air!
