A Brave and Beautiful Dog Named Callie
with appreciation to her incredible Foster Family!
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Callie - brought back from Shelter From The Storm's 2nd rescue mission trip to Mississippi in September |
When we first picked up Callie from Tracey's home, we thought, "What have we've gotten ourselves into?" She was scrawny little mutt with ribs sticking out, bald from a bad case of mange, and had a wheezing cough. But when we peered into her crate, we quickly heard the thump, thump, thump of her tail wagging and she grinned up at us with her one blue eye and one brown eye. Yep, she was a survivor. Hurricane Katrina had gotten in its knocks, but Callie was still up and ready to rumble. We took her to meet our two dogs, Scout and Ruby. It wasn't love at first sight, but they seemed to like having a bigger pack. We eagerly brought her home, but Callie balked at coming indoors. I don't think she had ever gone up steps before; it was like watching Spiderman climbing in slow-motion.
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We soon realized Callie was a girl with lots of moxie and plenty of street smarts. Within days, she had commandeered the best dog bed and all of Scout's toys. She could snatch a fallen food scrap or tennis ball faster than lightning. She quickly had us breaking every common-sense rule we learned in dog training class and was soon sleeping in our bed, pawing at our hands if we stopped petting her. Her first heartworm treatment was a bit rough, but she bounced back fast. The next round of treatments hit her hard. She suffered a lung embolism and was put on strict crate rest and given a myriad of anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. She rallied again and, 25 days after her second treatment, we thought we were in the home stretch. We wondered how we could ever give up this sassy girl for adoption, but knew she would quickly charm another family into adoring her.
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What a beautiful young girl...
with amazing eyes! |
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Sadly, on December 16th, Callie had another crisis, coughing up a significant amount of blood. We rushed her to emergency care, but they couldn't save her. Even a fighter like Callie can only take so many knock-down punches, I guess. We are heartbroken at her loss, but so grateful to have had our time with her. We hope in the three months that she was with us, we gave her all the love and pampering that every Southern belle deserves. Sadly missed by Patricia Leonardi, Lynda McAfee, Scout, and Ruby |
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Shelter From the Storm brought over 100 animals back from Katrina. More than 18 dogs tested positive for Heartworm. They have all struggled with the treatment. The foster families have gone over and beyond the call of duty, caring for some very seriously ill animals. Callie and her foster family lost this horrific battle... one that is totally avoidable. Please make sure your dogs are treated for Heartworm!!!
please visit The Bark and here.
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