Very sad news – see the 5/11/05 update!
NO LONG-DISTANCE ADOPTIONS – please check our adoption area map before completing an application or inquiring about Faith.
Hi! My name is Faith and I am a senior female Pomeranian. Am I super cute or what? Anyway, I was rescued from an area shelter and boy was I in BAD shape. First of all, I had to get spayed – at my age – HOW RUDE! I also had to have not one, but TWO, hernias repaired! And if THAT wasn’t enough, my teeth were really bad, so I had to get my teeth cleaned as well! So, needless to say, when I woke up I was SORE! And the vet sure was nervous about doing all of that to me at once – she said she was a nervous wreck! But, now it’s all over and I am so happy!. Thanks to Dr. Babbie at the Young Williams Animal Center for taking SUCH good care of me.
Although I feel much better I am still in need of further medical care. My foster mom has noticed that I am having to go pee-pee quite a bit, so she is worried I might have bladder stones. She plans to take me to the vet this week to have me checked out. However, I have an ever bigger problem. You see, the shelter veterinary staff informed my SBRET friends that I have really bad luxating patellas (bad knees) in the back. Luxating patella is just a fancy way of stating that my knees slip in and out of the socket. If you could see me walk just once, you would feel so sorry for me. However, my SBRET friends haven’t given up on me. They figure if I can make it through everything I’ve already gone through, I deserve a chance to walk without pain.
So, they would like to have some x-rays performed on my knees, in addition to x-rays to see if I have bladder stones. However, both of these things take money, which they sure are short on right now. So, I could sure use your help. If everyone that read about me could give even the smallest amount, it would add up so quickly. You see, my SBRET friends can tell, from reports they get from the Petfinder website, that each dog is usually viewed by hundreds of people in a month. If each of those people would give even a small amount, they could get enough to not only evaluate me for surgery, but get the surgery as well (if I am determined to be a candidate). So, please take the time to send a little love, and a LOT of money! Okay, a LITTLE money would do – my SBRET buddies told me not to be greedy. If you do send money, you can send it via PayPal
or send a check to SBRET at P.O. Box 22482; Knoxville, TN 37933. Please make sure to tell them it is for me, Faith, because I have faith that enough people will care enough to help a sweet little girl like me. Oh yeah, SBRET would LOVE to find a foster home for me to stay in as well – one that is a little calmer than the one I am in now. So, if you are interested in fostering me, please contact SBRET! And stay tuned for updates on me – and progress we are making with contributions to the Faith Fund!
5/11/05 update: We have very sad news to report about Faith. Faith unfortunately had to be euthanized early this morning after an unfortunate accident occurred at her foster home. Faith was apparently in a fight with another small dog in the foster home, and due to her small size and poor condition, was unable to recuperate from her injuries. When she was found she was rushed to the After Hours Pet Emergency Clinic and was kept overnight. X-rays were taken, and antibiotics, fluids, and pain medication were given. Her breathing became poor, and she was placed in an oxygen cage. Despite the added oxygen she was still breathing poorly. Around 5Am the veterinarian at Pet ER called us to let us know her prognosis was poor and felt that the best course of action was euthanasia. We did not want her to suffer, so we made the difficult decision to let her go on to the Rainbow Bridge, where there is no longer any pain or suffering. We know now that she is running free and happy, no longer hampered by pain, bad knees, or poor eyesight.
We are still in shock right now and trying to deal with the guilt of one of our foster dogs being in such an accident while in our care. Although we were trying to help this little girl, we feel the burden of knowing that we have put her through so much – of course in the hopes of her having a better life. We have had 2 hernias repaired and a spay, as well as a dental cleaning performed on this old, sweet girl, in the hopes that she would be happier and healthier for the remainder of her life. Although she was a very senior dog, we felt she deserved to be in the best condition possible for the rest of her life. We are just in shock that the rest of her life was only a couple of short weeks. Faith’s foster mom will forever feel the burden of this in her heart, and SBRET as an organization is truly traumatized by this event.
As you know, we had begun fundraising to help offset the cost of her previous surgeries, and to get enough money to evaluate her for possible knee surgery. To date we had raised $40 from two very generous contributors, Allen Smith and Suzanne Garnmeister. We will be contacting Allen and Suzanne to determine if they would like their donations used for Faith’s expenses (past surgeries and Pet ER Bill – $557), used for another SBRET dog, or returned. Whatever they want to do we will respect their wishes.
Please keep Faith in your hearts, as we will, always. This is truly one of the most horrific things that we as a group have ever had to face, but we are trying to remain steadfast in our desire to keep saving dogs. Faith would not want us to become less steadfast in our desire to help other dogs, so in her honor, we will continue on, the best we can.
