A new lease on life.

Published 7:45 pm Monday, November 23, 2009

Unfortunately, things dont always go as planned, but with enough good people in place and the right amount of tenacity and love, things work out.

Two weeks ago, I told of Hawkeye, the beautiful Shiba Inu with the broken leg that healed without being tended to, because of this the bone protrudes a little and one rear leg is slightly shorter and thinner than the other.
My fear of future pain brought me to Cloverfield vet clinic and Dr. Maria Magsino who had promised to x-ray and examine Hawkeye free of charge. With Hawkeyes adoption pretty much secured, this is where our last tale ended and this is where this tale will begin.
The next day, I drove out to Green Creek to check on Hawkeyes prognosis. Maria and all her staff had fell head over heels in love with him. “He is so cute and so sweet,” I was informed. When I saw Maria, she was nearly in tears and I feared the worst. “Hell be fine,” she told me, “but this boy has had one tough life. His leg is fine,” she went on, “any future operations on it would be useless. In the future, he may need some mild pain relief, but as of now he doesnt show any signs of pain or inflammation.” “What else?,” I asked, knowing there was more to tell. As she spoke, she held Hawkeye in her arms and I could literally feel the emotion pouring out of her. “Hawkeyes other leg had been broken,” she said, “and it has a pin in it. Also, hes been hit with buckshot and to top it off, he has a hernia, probably from the stress.” At this point, we both were fighting back tears. “Okay,” I said, “what can we do?” “We can schedule an operation for his hernia right now, the rest has healed just fine.” “How long before he can recoup?” I asked. “Itll be just like being neutered,” she replied, “a few days without strenuous activity.” “All right, Maria, but you only promised to do the x-ray and examination, youve done enough this year. Ill pay for this one.” Maria just looked at me and didnt answer.
We scheduled the operation in two days and I took him back to Landrum vet because they have a larger staff and facility to hold him.
That evening, I called Hawkeyes prospective adopters to inform them what was going on and how soon hed be available. They told me that they had adopted another dog through rescue, but were concerned about Hawkeyes welfare. I thanked them for their concern and told them, “hes under our care and you can rest assured well find him a good home.” Two days later, I brought him back to Cloverfield vet for his operation and the following morning I went to pick him up with my checkbook in hand. When I asked what his fee was, I was told to put my checkbook away, Hawkeye was a gift for my fund.
I left with Hawkeye in my arms and tears in my eyes. Ive said it before and Ill say it again, God has truly blessed me with so many people who support my cause, especially the area vets.
As of this writing, Hawkeye is fully recovered and sweeter than ever. To quote my dear friend Maria, “hes had a rough time of it.”
Please come and give my dear little friend the forever home he so richly deserves. I and the vets involved have helped give Hawkeye a new lease on life, you can make the rest of it worth living.
Thanks for listening.

~ Special Cases written by Leonard Rizzo

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