Dear Friends,
2012 was a stellar adoption year for GSGSR. With your help we were able to successfully place 47 dogs into forever homes. This is our greatest number to date. But as the dogs came pouring in, so did the vet bills. And some pretty steep vet bills at that. This year we saw a steady rise in senior dogs who developed several health issues and unfortunately, several abuse cases as well. These are two of their stories…
Our Champ Rocky…
Rocky, along with his housemate Princess, were both owner surrenders to GSGSR. Princess was adopted out quickly but Rocky we knew was going to take some time. As a senior dog, it would take a special person willing to look past his age and see a dog who is young at heart. Rocky had a history of being in a multiple dog home and he seamlessly transitioned into his new foster home that consisted of two dogs, a Shepherd Pit Mix and another German Shepherd, and two cats. Never missing a beat, Rocky became quite the fixture at many GSGSR adoption events. And while many people loved his disposition and mellow attitude, Rocky's one obstacle was always his age. But even at 9.5, Rocky was able to keep up with his foster family's hectic schedule which required frequent road trips to see family and friends out of state and other activities.
Shortly after Thanksgiving, Rocky needed to undergo emergency surgery for Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus, otherwise known as bloat. Anyone unfortunate enough to go through something like this knows that time is of the essence for a successful outcome. We were fortunate that his symptoms were recognized early and because he received medical attention within hours of his bloating, there was no damage to his organs. Rocky has since made a full recovery and is resting comfortably in his foster home, waiting for that family that will call him their very own.
Kate's Story…
Kate is a 7 month old German Shepherd who was the victim of abuse and neglect. She was found in an urban area in northern New Jersey, tied to a tree, with her paw dangling from her limb. Animal control brought her to a high kill shelter. Because of the extent of her injuries, she was in danger of being euthanized. GSGSR immediately took possession of her to get her the treatment that she desperately needed. We had her X-rayed and discovered that she had a broken right radius bone and needed surgery that would require a plate and pins to stabilize her leg. Two days later she was brought to Dr. Scavelli at Garden State Veterinary Services and a successful operation was done. She is currently recuperating in a foster home.
Thanks to your previous generosity, we were able to raise over $2400 to help fund the care and treatment of several of our dogs. Care like this would have been difficult to do if it were not for wonderful individuals like you! Which is why we need your help again...GSGSR is currently looking to raise $8000 to help cover the cost of intensive care that several of our dogs have received.
Please help us in providing the continued care our dogs need. Many thanks for your support! And don’t forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate, adopt or foster! Please visit www.gsgsr.org to see all of our available adoptees.
