A few days ago, we
received a call from an individual who told us that his mother, who was no
longer there, had a greyhound that needed to be moved. Fearing that the
dog had been left unattended after the death of his owner, we called him back
and found that the dog had indeed been left at the house, with someone going
over periodically to give him food. After further questions, we found that
in fact, the dog was living outside, and was hiding under the house because he
was afraid of the people who were there to clean out the house, and then tear it
down. Fearing the worst, our foster dog coordinator and her husband raced
over to the house to get him. This is what they found: Charlie before
bath
Charlie after
bath
Charlie reminds us
of the way greyhounds used to come to us from some farms that are thankfully out
of business now... thoroughly neglected, eaten up by fleas to the point of
anemia, teeth rotting out of his head, but still so grateful to see a friendly
face that it brings tears to our eyes. Yet this is a dog that had been
adopted... this dog had people that were supposed to take care of him.
Dogs in this condition should hate humans for what has been done to them... yet
they don't. If you'd like to
help Charlie through his recovery, please consider sponsoring him for any
amount... even the smallest donation is important. And if you'd like to
help us in other ways, consider fostering. Charlie is a good example of
why we are constantly pleading for fostering help... if we don't have a place to
put dogs like Charlie, what will happen to them? Charlie relaxes
into his new life
Update: Charlie ended up having to have ALL of his teeth pulled. His
gums were so degraded that in many places, there wasn't enough tissue to pull
together to stitch. So for a time, he had several open wounds in his
mouth, which made eating difficult. However, he has turned the corner and
the bleeding has stopped. He's starting to enjoy his food much more, and
we look forward to giving you better and better news as he progresses!
Another Update: Wonderful news! While Charlie is still in recovery
mode, he's doing great, and his foster parents have gotten so attached to him,
they've decided to keep him! So say hello to Charlie Brown Hardy, and
congratulations to his new family, Dave & Leslie!
11/7/10: One last chapter to Charlie's story. Today, after a day or
two of feeling a bit under the weather, Charlie decided he wanted to go outside
with the other dogs. He ran outside, tail wagging, and enjoyed a trip
around the yard. A few minutes later, while basking in the warm sunshine,
Charlie apparently suffered a heart attack and passed away. His family,
Dave and Leslie Hardy, are devastated, but feel blessed to have had him in their
lives, and they are grateful he passed away peacefully with the family and
greyhound companions that he loved.
This site owned and maintained by Greyhound Rescue and Adoptions of Tampa Bay
Contact GREAT at (813) 971-4732
Last Update: 07/22/11