Annabelle's story
Angels Among Us received an email last week from a concerned woman about a purebred Husky in Alabama who has been severely neglected and can barely walk:
"She is an irresponsible pet owner. She always has many dogs and cats who just walk around outside her trailer and are not allowed inside. She does not have a fence and ties some of the dogs to trees in the front yard. The trailer is only about 40 feet from a busy rural road and the animals are constantly getting run over and killed. I go to her house once a month to pick up my grandson for visitation and I see this situation. I first saw Anabelle last year after Christmas. She was a Christmas gift for her teenage daughter. Anabelle was a beautiful 6 week old purebred husky puppy with red/white markings and ice blue eyes. When I visited the home again 2 or 3 months later I noticed the pup was limping. They said that they had accidentally run her over with their car in the driveway when she didn't move in time. Over the next few months I saw her limp getting worse and when I asked if they had taken her to the vet, they said no that it wasn't necessary and that it was resolving on its own. In September when I was there I was shocked at Anabelle's appearance: she could hardly walk, was very skinny, her eyes were matted with green gunk, her skin had open sores and old scabs on it and she was listless. I asked them please if I could have her and take her to the vet. They said no that they were trying to breed her with their big male husky. I cried all the way home. You can imagine my surprise and elation when she texted me on November 10th, the day before my monthly visit, and said if I still wanted "that broke-down dog" I could have it for $150. On Friday the 11th I drove the 4 hours from my house stopping in Birmingham to buy the biggest crate that would fit in the back of my car. She slept the whole way home. I took her directly to my vet here in Montgomery. They gave her a bath, capstar, all vaccinations, hw test and fecal. Fecal and hw are negative, she has a sweet friendly disposition, and, other than needing to put on weight, is healthy. However, her two front paws have old fractures in them and are in bad shape. The left one she never puts down and it has atrophied. The right one has been x-rayed and examined by their orthopedic specialist and she says it can be saved with surgery. The bad news is that she expects the amputation and orthopedic surgery to run approximately 3,000 dollars. Of course she would need to be spayed also. I am happy to be able to contribute another $500 dollars immediately towards her continuing care in addition to the bill for her boarding, shots, x-rays, etc. up to this point, but I simply cannot afford another $3000 dollars. I still believe I did the right thing by taking her out of that horrible situation but I don't know what else to do now. I have contributed and helped to save other dogs through your organization and it has been very rewarding. I suppose I have been inspired by your efforts and my attempt to rescue Anabelle was the result of having my eyes opened by your pleas and those of other organizations.
She is still there in boarding right now. She loved her bath and mani-pedi the other day! The groomer said that she just was so happy to be getting attention and was very affectionate and leaning in to her to be petted. She sits at the front of the kennel run and whines for someone to pet her the rest of her day. After the Thanksgiving holiday I will get her out and bring her home until I am able to find another situation for her. I am in Montgomery, about two hours west of Atlanta. I would be happy to bring her wherever I need to and of course donate her crate as well, if you agree to accept her into your program. I believe God has another purpose for Anabelle and I was brought there to help her fulfill it. Thank you for your time and attention."
How can we NOT help this sweet girl?? We see all kinds of horrors in rescue, but the one thing that continues to surprise us daily is the unconditional love and forgiveness these dogs show despite the cruelty and neglect shown to them. This kind soul has done the hard work, let's do the easy part and raise the money to help Annabelle have the kind of life she deserves.
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