After 17 months in the special
care of the Rogue Valley Humane Society, on March 22, 2011 Freedom's
troubled life finally became every dogs dream... she got a loving,
forever home with a family that truly wants her.
For those who have followed this
touching saga of an extremely abused mother (see story below)
who has fought for her life several times over you know that
it has taken a very long time to solve all her medical problems
and get her into good health.
However, once she was finally
ready to be adopted, for reasons none of us can understand, she
wasn't. Until now that is. She was just waiting to pick the right
family.
Freedom & Family
As special as the day was, it
was bitter sweet for the shelter staff who have all come to love
Freedom deeply. Although they are thrilled she is moving on,
they will all miss her like no other.
Shelter Manager Margaret Varner, Tech Nina Smith,
and Asst. Manager Tanya Allen.
Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Freedom's new family has promised
they will bring her back for visits and give progress reports.
We will post them here like these two shots from her second day
at her new home.
"This is the life I was meant
to live!"
Freedom's vet bills were into
the thousands and were paid in part by the generous donations
to the RVHS Truman
Fund for special case animals.
Fight for Freedom
Then there is the case of Freedom.
On Saturday 11-07-09 a couple dropped off a 
white female pit bull mix they said they'd
found in a ditch in the Sanitarium Road area near Merlin, Oregon.
The poor dog was severely emaciated. Her ribs were sticking out,
and she weighed less than 40 pounds. All of her teeth had been
filed down to the gum line so that her teeth roots are exposed.
She had pressure sores where the bones rubbed against the skin
and caused sores. And, she had also given birth to nine puppies
earlier that day. One puppy later died.
"The puppies still had umbilical
cords attached and were wet," said shelter manager Margaret
Varner. "It just broke my heart. I couldn't sleep because
I kept thinking about what she had been through. And she is still
a love. She just wants to snuggle up to you and be petted."
Freedom was taken to a veterinarian
on Sunday for emergency treatment. Varner estimates that Freedom
is between 2 and 4 years old. Without teeth, it's hard to determine
a dog's age.
She was also full of tapeworms
and had to be treated. She was tested for heartworm later that
week and she tested positive. The shelter had to hold off treating
her until her puppies were weaned. It took several weeks to treat
Freedom for the heartworms but like the trooper she is, she made
it through the painful process.
Margaret Varner
sits with Freedom and her nine puppies at the Rogue Valley Humane
Society.
The puppies were dewormed as
well when they were a few days older. The white and brown litter
had one female and seven males. "We're hoping people will
call in and give us suggestions for names. We're trying to keep
them all patriotic, though," she said.
Currently, Freedom is being fed
a mixture of boneless-skinless chicken breasts and puppy chow
to give her more nutrients for feeding the puppies and to help
her safely put on weight.
Freedom was just one victim helped
by the Truman's Fund. "We can't save them all, but with
community and corporate support we can help most of them,"
Varner said.
The RVHS shelter staff continues
to work on educating the community and children about animal
abuse, hoping to prevent more cases like Freedom.
"The way some people treat animals is just not acceptable,"
she said.
"Freedom already has so many strikes against her. She's
a pit bull and they get a bad rap," Varner continued. "She
will be a special needs dog because of her teeth. I just wonder
how much more this dog has to endure. It is just heartbreaking."
12-02-09 - In
a little less than one month after her trauma Freedom was becoming
a new dog and her puppies are healthy and active. The care and
attention they received was incredible. They have all been placed
in loving homes and we can only hope that Freedom will find one
as well.
TRUMAN FUND
Please send your donation to:
Rogue Valley Humane Society PO Box 951, Grants Pass, OR 97528.
On check put "For" Truman Fund. All donated
money goes into our operating account, unless it's a bequest
or grant, which goes into the Memorial account.
Or, use our PayPal donation option
and just put "Truman Fund" in the comment box.