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Arizona Animal Welfare League and SPCA create Medical Miracles Fund

Monday, 26 July 2010
Phoenix, AZ--A shaggy puppy with a sweet, playful disposition — despite the inability to walk because he can’t use his front legs — is getting extra special care and a custom cart so he can move around on his own, thanks to the Arizona Animal Welfare League and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (AAWL& SPCA). Samson can now get around on his own thanks to AAWL and the SPCA Sampson is a five-month-old Wheaton Terrier rescued by AAWL & SPCA whose front legs didn’t develop properly. “This little guy has managed to get around for his whole life by using his back legs only,” says Shannon Blizzard, Director of Operations for the state’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter. “But, he deserves better.” “Dogs are designed to hop around using their back legs, so we made a temporary sling to help him move around,” she adds. But the sling doesn’t allow Sampson to be independent, so AAWL & SPCA is having a custom cart made to allow him to move about without assistance or pain. The cart is being built to his specifications by a company in Washington state, and should arrive soon. It will allow him to grow some, but he will eventually need another one, which will cost a little over $300. When the cart arrives, AAWL & SPCA staff will work with Sampson to accustom him to it, and hope to get him into the right home as soon as possible. Staff also is talking with a vet about providing physical therapy and acupuncture, to help him become properly aligned after months of trying to get around in his unconventional way. Sampson is one of the first animals to benefit from AAWL & SPCA’s “Medical Miracles Fund.” The fund was established so donors could support the extra medical expenses and efforts that AAWL & SPCA takes on as part of its no-kill mission. Another one of the pets that came to AAWL & SPCA needing extra medical care is Phoenix, a year-old German Shepherd Dog-Labrador Retriever mix who arrived at AAWL & SPCA with extreme chemical burns all the way down his back “He needed immediate medical attention,” says Blizzard. “These kinds of costs are impossible to budget for, so the Medical Miracles Fund enables us to have reserves to handle these special cases.” Thanks to the special care the shelter was able to provide, the wound is healing well and hasn’t slowed down the energetic and loving dog. Shelter staff says he would make a wonderful hiking or running partner, and loves to play with toys, especially tennis balls. “These are wonderful animals and they deserve a chance to be loved and to give back that love and companionship,” says Blizzard. “We don’t have to kill them.” For more information on how to donate to the Medical Miracles Fund, visit the AAWL & SPCA website atwww.aawl.org and click on the link on the home page, or call 602-273-6852.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 August 2010 )

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