Giving a dog a second chance can mean advantages for humans, too
We met happy in December at a local Vietnamese-run shelter. He was a mess. He was covered in ticks and fleas, very skinny, unable to walk, but when I went over to him, he was so happy to be approached and pet that he wagged his tail and tried his hardest to get up. He had been found suffering from canine distemper, which is a virus that attacks the brain. They had cured him of it, but not before it had done permanent damage to parts of his system. It broke my heart and I knew he’d never get healthy or adopted if he stayed in the shelter. So we offered to pay for his medical care. He had seven percent white blood cell count, low red blood cell count, and low iron, amongst other things. Again, he was a mess. A friend’s dog donated blood for him and his
prognosis shifted considerably.
Since Tet, we have been fostering Happy at our place, getting him used to living in a home, walking on a leash and overall positive behaviors. In turn, he has gotten stronger, more playful and began his transition to being a great pet. Happy is also neutered.
Happy is great with people and other dogs. He is very low maintenance, only needing a short walk in the morning and night. He is completely apartment trained and has had no accidents at all. Happy doesn’t chew anything other than his rope and sleeps through the night.
He does still limp (and will permanently), but we have developed a shoe to protect his foot. Other than that, Happy is 100 percent healthy.
Images by Veronica Linh
To adopt Happy, contact his foster parents Vaughan at 0965314894 or Alli at 0377135971
