(Nell) Sarah has a brand new life after being thrown from a car on the freeway
Sarah giving Donna kisses
The picture of (Nell) Sarah in the kitchen with Donna sitting on a stool was because she was not quite ready to be with her siblings as she looked down on them. She was still fearful.
(Nell) Sarah was picked up by animal control on the 210 freeway after being tossed out of a car….
Donna Harrington President of the Furry Angel Rescue Foundation (we previously wrote about the organization here) heard about (Nell) Sarah from another pet rescue worker who was trying to save this little terrier mix. She was one day from being put to sleep or PTS in shelter vernacular and her picture just melted Donna’s heart. With no fosters available and with her heart melting, Donna took her home– she couldn’t let this little girl go. So, she made arrangements to save (Nell) Sarah but the Devore shelter (in Southern California) refused to release her until she was spayed by the shelter vet.
The pooch before care, as she and Donna left the shelter vet
The scared and undernourished Terrier mix was then transferred to the shelter vet’s facility and had her surgery, Donna was told to pick her up after 3PM the following day. Donna lives about two hours from the shelter so, before the long drive she called the facility to confirm (Nell) Sarah was ready to be picked up only to find out they had misplaced her and she could not be found.!! This happens more often than you would think with so many animals in understaffed shelters these days and sometimes the dogs are accidentally PYS. Thankfully, they finally found (Nell) Sarah and she was discharged in Donna’s care.
When she finally arrived at the shelter vet’s facility they brought out this little tiny bundle of bones. Based on (Nell) Sarah’s picture Donna estimated her to be around 14 – 15 lbs. She held (Nell) Sarah in her arms was afraid of holding her too tight as she could feel her rib’s popping through what little skin she had. The pooch was clearly undernourished, frightened and weary of people.
(Nell) Sarah as she left the shelter vet
When she got in the car and was taken to Donna’s home all she could do was shake from fear and perhaps having flashbacks from her last car ride….
Donna tried to get her to drink but she refused fluids and food. Donna continued to hold her and reassure her that it was going to be okay and laid down on the floor next to her as she fell asleep.
Sarah after medical & shave down
A short time passed (Nell) Sarah started showing signs of trust as Donna finally had the opportunity look her over as she was being petted. It looked like she was full of ticks from head to toe perhaps this explained why she was so thin, maybe the ticks were drawing her blood. Her ears smelled terrible, which is the first sign of an infection and she needed to be bathed. What is surprising is that many shelter vet’s allows rescue animals to go into surgery in the condition they are in… dirty and in dire need of medical attention. It’s a miracle that (Nell) Sarah made it through her surgery as she was so weak and very sick and malnourished.
Under care, the cute pooch gets the medical help it needs
The very next day she was seen by Dr. Lindi Kopecko the Furry Angle Foundation’s medical director. The pooch only weighed 8lbs 2oz, about half what she should weigh. And, what they thought were ticks turned out to be dog bites (Donna was later told she had been attacked by another dog in the shelter).
Nell was placed on an antibiotic, pureed food mixed with Pediatric Electrolyte and low sodium chicken broth. As suspected, she had a double ear infection and a huge gash on her foot, another thing the shelter vet either didn’t see or chose to ignore.
And she is on the road to recovery
A few weeks passed and she regained her strength and then was very sick with a parasite that did not show up during her first fecal test. It took almost a month of baby steps getting (Nell) Sarah to be strong enough to start eating on her own. Donna said it was pure joy watching this little girl blossom, gain strength and understand love maybe for the first time ever. She was just so sweet and so precious!
Now that she was finally healed and healthy and happy, it was time to help find her a new home as she was ready to begin her life. First, they changed her name to Sarah because the song by Star Ship described Sarah to the tee. She was placed on adopt a pet and in less than 24 hours the Furry Angel Foundation had about 15 – 20 calls from people who read her story and saw her pictures. But by then, Sarah wiggled into Donna and her family’s hearts and they could not let her go!
And (Nell) Sarah is surrounded by her new family– her brothers
Donna and her very understanding husband, Jim had fallen in love with this little girl and wanted to continue to protect her and make her part of their family.
Because of (Nell) Sarah’s history, she is obviously petrified of being in a car and will scamper down on the floor for fear of being tossed out of one! Today she is thriving and does very well keeping her siblings in line. She’s definitely a very special Furry Angel.
Donna’s advice to anyone who is thinking about getting a pet but not sure if they want to long-term commitment is to please contact a rescue group and offer to be a foster, you can save a life and give love until the furry angel finds their fur-ever home.
Nell (Sarah) is now a happy and healthy dog thanks to Donna’s love and the Furry Angel Rescue Foundation
Support the Furry Angel Rescue Foundation and follow their progress on Facebook.
What do you think?