Faith
**Update 2/24/08
We are happy to report that Ms Faith has come through her second surgery with flying colors!!!! Just two short weeks after surgery, she is standing a bit straighter and gaining strength in her hind end. We are looking forward to getting her back into physical therapy in the next few days - once her surgeon gives her clearance, she is back on the treadmill and stretching on her ball!!!! Faith will start attending adoption events very soon!
It has been heartwarming to see the number of people who are concerned about Faith's life! We are so thankful for each and every one of you that has donated to her care. Please plan to come by and meet Faith at one of our upcoming events.
**Update 1/28/08
Since the holidays, Faith has been working hard to rehabilitate her "new" leg!!! She attends two physical therapy sessions per week and inbetween her foster family helps her with daily exercises. Faith is up to twenty minutes on a treadmill and can fully extend her right leg during therapy. Nothing slows her down and she has a fiery little personality that has helped her survive and thrive.
We have just received clearance from her surgeon to have the second surgery which will be scheduled for early February!!!!
We are continuing to raise funds to allow us to continue Faith's ongoing physical therapy!
**Update 12/20/07
Happy Holidays from Faith! Faith's physical therapy on her first reconstructed leg has been tiring, yet productive. She is putting weight on her leg and can even climb steep slopes! We just got word that Faith needs to have physical therapy 3 times a week---ouch---which wasn't exactly figured into the cost! So, we are continuing to raise funds to cover both of her legs and the necessary therapy. Thanks again to all who have sponsored Faith! New pics to come shortly. Happy Holidays!
**Update 11/22/07
To sum it up, we at Coastal have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Due to the amazing support of our adopters, friends and family we have raised $5,610.00 for Faith's surgeries! Faith will be scheduled for her second surgery and will walk soon due to YOU!
Faith is recovering from surgery #1 in a foster home and is taking this all in stride. She is putting some weight on her "new" leg and is getting physical therapy daily. Please check our website soon for new photos! www.coastalgsr.org
**Update 11/16/07:
Based on the incredible response we received, we felt comfortable enough to schedule Faith's surgery immediately and the surgeon cleared his schedule. The good news...she came through with flying colors. The bad news? They were only able to do one leg and the estimate has been adjusted to over $5,000. Thankfully, we have raised enough money to cover the first leg but we still need to raise the additional money to allow us to have her left leg repaired and the related physical therapy needed to allow her to lead a normal life. Faith faces a long rehabilitation - we are so touched by the caring of so many in such a short period of time!
Faith was discovered in a remote, high kill shelter in Central California, our volunteers were taken aback by her photographs. A mere baby, she cannot fully use her hind end - she 'bunny hops'. In the shelter, she was kept in the night drop box so that she wasn't hurt by other dogs. With the help of New Beginnings for Animals (www.greatpets.org), she was transported and evaluated by a highly regarded orthopedic surgeon in Irvine .
Here is the good news...Faith's legs can be repaired with surgery. The X-rays show that her knee caps are on the outside of her legs, which doesn't allow her to have full motion. This could be genetic...or the subject of blunt force trauma at a young age. We can't bear to think of the latter, so we are hoping that her affliction is due to genetics. The surgeon assures us that she has every opportunity, with surgery and physical therapy, to live a full life with substantial range of motion. He wants us to schedule the surgery ASAP, her growth plates have yet to close and the timing is great for a solid recovery.
What is heartbreaking for all of us is that her surgery will cost nearly $4,000. With this surgery she will be able to function like nearly any young adolescent. Watch the video of Faith now, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbvAto3hZ1I
Faith is barely 8 months old and deserves a shot at a full, happy life. Her demeanor is such that she doesn't recognize that she is disabled - in fact, we should have named her Scooter given how quickly she hauls herself around. She charms everyone that she meets. We want to give her that opportunity to run on the beach, splash in the water, tear around a dog park...but we must have donations to help us reach that goal. It is our immediate goal to raise at least $2,000 to move forward with the surgery. The alternative is to euthanize her and deny her a chance at a long full life. Once you meet Faith, we are certain that she will grab your heats, the hugs you get from her eyes alone are priceless and this is with much discomfort from her pain.
Can you donate towards Faith's surgery and rehabilitation? Every single penny raised goes 100% to the dogs. If you, your friends, family, acquaintances can help us to help Faith, you can rest assured that every dollar goes straight to her medical fund. There are NO paid employees with the rescue, everyone is a volunteer.
Thank you for reading Faith's story and visiting our fundraising page! We look forward to providing updates regularly. You can visit our website www.coastalgsr.org to read more about Faith.
Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.
Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!